The financially wilting Chinese Ancient Sex Culture Museum, one of
a kind in China, is virile once again, after coming close to
closure, according to Chinadaily report.
However, the Shanghai attraction will not be unique for long, as a
branch of the sex museum is now under construction in Hangzhou,
expected to open early next year.
"Since our monthly house rent has been lowered a considerable
amount from 52,000 yuan (US$6,280) after our negotiation with the
owner, we can just about keep balance with our expenses and
expenditure, so that the museum will continue to be open to the
public," said Hu Hongxia, general manager of the museum, who is a
doctor of medicine.
The museum has collected about 1,700 articles related to sex
culture -- including ancient sexual tools, pictures and sculptures
-- from across the country and some foreign countries, with 1,100
of them on display. The other 600 articles will be sent to
Hangzhou.
Seventy-year-old Professor Liu Dalin, who owns the museum, spent
the majority of his life collecting the sexual exhibits. He opened
the museum initially in downtown Nanjing Road in 1999.
However, he had to move premises in April this year, as a new law
prohibited "sex" signs from appearing along the road.
With a 30 yuan (US$3.60) admission fee, approximately 50,000 people
have visited the museum since its opening.
"Half of them were foreigners, and they were astonished to find
that China has such a high-valued culture of sex," Hu said.
(Xinhua News
Agency November 11, 2001)