Erwin J. Haeberle
Foreword
From:
D. Liu, M.L. Ng, L.P. Zhou,and Erwin J. Haeberle:
Sexual Behavior in Modern China: Report on the Nationwide Survey of 20,000
Men and Women,
New York, Continuum, 1997, pp. 568
It is
both a
great honor and
a great
pleasure for
me to
contribute a
few welcoming
words to
this first
major survey
of sexual
behavior in
China.
In their
desperation, and
since
nothing else
was available
, epidemiologists
tu rned
to older
surveys, mainly
to Kinsey's
"reports" and
tried
to
extrapolate the
data not
only to
the present
and fu
tu re,
but also
to
countries
other than
the United
States. This
way they
hoped to
arrive at
some predictions
as to
the
course
the AIDS
pandemic might
take. However,
it
soon became
clear that
this simplistic
approach could
not result
in
accurate forecasts.
In the
meantime, researchers
i n
the
Unitfd
States as
well as
i n
Great
Britai n,
France, Finland,
and some
other
countries
have concucted
new
,
representative or
near-representative national
surveys of
sexual behavior
. However
,
helpful as
these efforts
have been,
they have
not prod
uced
certainty.
Greeted with
relief by
many health
officials because
of the
"con
servative" picture
they painted
,
they have
been questioned
and dou
bted
by sexologists
who know
the pitfalls
and shortcomi
ngs of
all existing
research
methods.
Sexologists also
know something
eise: Each
country,
indeed, each
social class,
ethnic grou
p, and
generation
within the
same country
has a
different "sexual
culture," and
they
all
need
to
be
investigated.
Most cou
ntries also
have a
number of
sexual
"subcultures"
in
which
members
of otherwise
very different
social grou
ps may
interact,
thereby
creating
specific erotic
milieux and
"lifestyles. "
Examples are
prison populations
,
youth gangs,
homosexual communities,
"swingers" clubs,
sadomasochistic circles,
and the
various types
of prostitution,
from
street
prostitution
to brothels
and "call
girl rings.
" Such
subcultures by
no means
exist
in
all
countries, and
they may
show an
enormous variability
from one
country
to
another. They
do become
important, however,
as "target
grou ps"
for AIDS
prevention campaigns,
since they
themselves are
the best
experts on
their own
sexual behavior.
Therefore they
can be
very helpful
in designing
appropriate prevention
campaigns and
materials. They
also know
how to
distribute such
materials in
the most
effective manner,
and they
command
the
necessary
trust.
In short,
where such
sexual
subcultures
exist ,
they can
be the
most
valuable allies
of health
workers
in
preventi ng
the spread of
sexually
transmitted
diseases
including
AIDS. Conversely,
those health
officials
who try
to coerce
or suppress
such potential
allies will
fail in
protecting not
only the
members of
these subcultures,
but also
the general
population. lt is
therefore
necessary
for
sex
researchers
to
find
the
various sexual groups
that might
exist in
a particular
society, to
befriend them,
to support
them, and
to learn
from them.
In this
respect Hirschfeld
and Kinsey
were also
role models
for their
successors.
During this
journey, which
took almost two
years (1930-32),
Hirschfeld
traveled from
Berlin to
New York,
Ch icago,
Los Angeles
,
and
San Francisco, from there
to Japan,
China, the
Philippines, Indonesia,
India, Egypt, Palestine,
Greece, Austria,
and Switzerland,
lecturing
everywhere about
the new
science of
sexology and
various sexological topics.
In the
summer of
1931 Hirschfeld
lectured at
all Chinese
national
universities. Especially
in Beijing
and Nanjing
the audiences
were very
large. and
at
Sun
Yatsen University
in
Guangzhou
over one
thousand
students appeared
for a lecture.
Of course,
he also
visited
Shanghai.
(There still
exists a
photo
showing
Hirschfeld with
members of
the
Chinese Women's
Club.)
Professor Liu
stands in
the tradition
of the
great sexological
pioneers Hirschfeld
and Kinsey,
making a
total commitment
to his
science along
with great
personal sacrifices
for the
sake of
his research.
As these
great men
did,
he also
seeks and
finds allies
and collaborators
from various
academic disciplines,
and from
official agencies
as well
as industry and
large and
small organizations.
This careful
building of
local, national,
and international
alliances
is the
best
proof
of
the seriousness
of his
intentions and
it also
offers the
best guarantee
that his
research will
continue. Obviously,
the first
large
Chinese
sex survey
whose results
are published
here,
can
only be
a beginning.
Like
all good
research,
it
raises more
questions than
it answers.
In many
respects, the
findings are
almost predictable
, since
they are
similar to
those in
most other
countries.
For example,
the fact
that an
overwhelming majority
of college
students find
sex education
too
conservative
mirrors very
similar
sentiments
almost
everywhere
in
our
fast-changing
world.
The
fact
that
a
considerable
number of
people have
sexual intercourse
before marriage
also reflects
a nearly universal
finding.
Considering the
earlier physical
maturation of
boys and
girls today
and the
rising age
at which
young men
and women
get married,
this can hardly
be a
surpr ise
to anyone.
On the
contrary, future,
more specialized
research will
probably confirm
this trend
and raise
the present
percentages. Certain
other numbers
in the
present report,
on the
other
hand,
seem low
compared to
findings in
other countries.
For example,
to experienced
sex researchers
it is
quite surprising
that less
than half
of the
male college
students masturbate.
According to
our reasoned
expectations, this
figure should
be much
higher.
Perhaps,
in
this first
survey, the
respondents were
still too
shy and
did not
tell the
truth, or
some other
factor falsified
the answer.
lt
seems reasonable
to
assume that
the number
will be
higher in
future surveys.
lt is
also
intriguing
to find
that well
over 7
percent of
college students
reported homosexual
experiences. A
surprise is
also the
figure of
just over
10 percent
who had
heterosexual intercourse.
In fact,
the last
two findings
should prove
very interesting
to all
sex researchers
who learn
about them.
A variety
of interpretions
are possible.
lt
seems safe
to assume,
however, that
in
future surveys
both figures
will turn
out to
be
different, and
that especially
the percentage
of those
with heterosexual
experiences
will
grow
dramatically.
The percentage
of those
with homosexual
experiences may
eventually also
be found
to be
at least
somewhat
larger.
On the
other hand,
the recent
nationwide surveys
in the United States,
Great Br
itain, and
France report
much smaller
figures with
regard to
homosexual behavior
than had
been
anticipated
on the
basis of
the
earlier reports
by Ki
nsey and
his collaborators.
However, while
his figures,
for certain
technical reasons,
were probably
too high,
the new
numbers may
well be
too low
for entirely
different reasons.
The debate
among sex
researchers abou
t the
best survey
techniques
is by
no means
over.
lt would
certainly be
interesti ng
to keep
an eye
on the
percentage of
those
with
both homosexual
and heterosexual
experiences. In
any case,
sex research
in other
countries
- no
matter where
it is
being
conducted
has shown
time and
again that
there is
no clear
demarcation line
between those with
heterosexual and
homosexual
interests.
Of
course,
the vast
majority of
men and
women do not
maintain homosexual
behavior for
long (if
at all)
,
but some
of them
show some
homosexual behavior
after
puberty for
at least
a few
years, and
in
perhaps half
of these
cases it
will
probably remain
significant throughout
life
.
This has
always been, and
will remain
true all over the
world. After
all, as the
zoologist Ki
nsey poi
nted out,
a.
certain
amount
of homosexual
behavior in a
mi nority
of the
population is
simply
"part
of our
mammalian heritage."
There is
no biological
reason why the
Chi nese
should be
an exception.
This is
not to
say, however,
that cultural
factors do
not play
a very
subtantial role
in
shaping
all sexual
(including homosexual)
behavior.
Especially the
interpretation
of such
behavior varies
greatly from
one culture
and historical
period to
another. I
understand that
Professor Liu
is
planning
to give
special attention to
this whole
issue i
n his
next study.
I
am
certain that
this also
will be
a very
illumi nating,
pioneering work.
Another fasci
nating
discovery
of the
present survey
is the
fact that
over sixteen
percent of
the married
report masturbation.
This
certai nly
has a
ring
of truth.
Finally,
the
finding
that over
half of
the
couples
practice sexual
intercourse
in various
ways
sounds
both true
and
reassuring
about Chinese
sexual culture.
On the
whole, the
present survey
reveals a
picture of
"average" and
in part
even robust
sexual health
in
China with a
few fuzzy
spots that
need to
be cleared
up.
Needless to
say, Professor
Liu will
have to
prepare for
a great
deal of
criticism from
a number
of quarters.
Sex researchers
are always
criticized. And
it is
true that
no sex
survey can
be perfect
or cover
everything that
readers would
like to
know about.
Professional colleagues
will undoubtely
point
out various
shortcomings
in
the research
design
or
in
its execution
. This
criticism is
also unavoidable
and must
be borne
with equanimity. Actually,
as everybody
is going
to discover,
serious professional
criticism is
the most
valuable response
any researcher
can hope
for. More
than anything
else it
promotes interest
in more
and better
research.
Thus,
no matter
how this
survey itself
is eventually
judged, Professor
Liu
will have
every reason
to be
pleased, since
he has
provided the
first and
greatest impetus
to the
growth of
sexology in
China. lt
remains the
enviable position
of pioneers
like Professor
Liu to
promote their
field no
matter how
their work is
received. Even
the strongest
attack will
have the
effect of
pointing to
the importance
of what
he is
saying. Agree
or disagree,
his main
objective will
be achieved:
Everyone will
see that a
survey such
as this
had to
be conducted
and will
have to
be repeated.
To
foreigners like
myself, the
Chinese often
appear both
fascinating
and
"inscrutable."
lt
is
Professor Liu's
unique contribution
that he
has
begun to
show us
that, in
matters of
sex, his
compatriots are
very much
like most
other people,
that they
are - not surprisingly
- part
of the
same
human race
with the
same
personal
satisfactions and
problems. Most
importantly,
however,
by
enabling the
Chinese to
learn something
about
themselves
which they
might not
have realized,
he has
opened the
way
to
a multifaceted,
inner-Chinese dialogue,
in which
the people
themselves examine
their values,
hopes, and
aspirations for happiness.
I
for
one hope
that this
dialogue will
also result
in establishing
sexology as
a scientific
enterprise in its own
right in
China. Few
things could
be
more welcome
to us
European and
American sexologists
than to
see the
growth of
the Chinese
institutes of
sex research,
especially those
with
a
sociological orientation.
After all,
sex research
in China,
expanded and
maintained
over years
and decades,
could significantly
increase our
understanding
not only
of China,
but of "the
human condition."
Hirschfeld's own
research, his
collection and
library,
indeed
his
whole institute,
fell victim
to Hitler
and the
Nazis in
1933.
To
this day,
this pioneering
institute has
not been rebuilt
in Berlin,
because the
city's three
universities have
taken no
note of
international developments
and consequently
have never
understood their
responsibilities and
opportunities in
this area.
Finally,
in
1994, seventy-five
years after
the opening
of Hirschfeld's
institute, the
Robert Koch
Institute, a
German
federal health
research
institution,
took the
initiative to
open an
Archive of
Sexology in
Berlin. lt
could become
the nucleus
of an
urgently needed
German research
center.
In any
case, I
was very
pleased to
be able
to re-establish
the interrupted
Chinese-German
sexological
connections, to
travel repeatedly
to
China and
to welcome
Professor Liu
even more
often
in
Germany. I
wish this
book the
grateful reception
it deserves
. and
I am
looking forward
to helping the
further development
of Chinese
sexology
in
any way
I can
.
Moreover, we
have retained
the style
and structure
of the
original
,
with a
rather rigid
(if not
pedantic) narrative
in
order to
convey an
impression
of the
dispassionate
"seriousness" which
allowed the
work to
be published
in
the first
place. Even
so, as
i
n the
original, some
of the
paragra phs
contain surprising
anecdotes and
asides, and
some of
the
tables are
startling.
Therefore we
hope that
the work
as a
whole will
be
well received
even by
impatient Western
readers. After
all,
few
of us
have the
opportunity to
get a
good look at
the
"hidden"
side of
a cultu
re of
which we
are only
now
beginning to
become
aware. |