In May, 2022, news report on obscene illustrations in students’ textbooks with sexual hints went viral in China (Gan): some little girls’ underpants were clearly shown in those pictures, with their dresses unveiled by some other boys. Also in that month, a 16-year-old teenage girl was found delivering a baby in the school’s dormitory, which turned out that the pregnancy was caused by rape. Such news clearly sparkled citizens’ outrage, for it not only revealed the malpractice of those educators, but also unveiled the current sex knowledge deficiency in this country. China’s long-existing stigma attached to sex, together with East-Asian shame-based culture (Young 62), has driven sex education out of China’s schools (Gao et al.). Not only do the students lack sex education, the school teachers also have limited training in this subject (Burki 26). However, if taught properly, secondary school students will surely better understand both themselves and the others, hence to be educated not to hurt others and prepared for protection against possible sexual assault. China’s documented sex crime cases have reached a shocking number of 113,241 in 2020 (Textor).

As far as I am concerned, proper sex education, however, can potentially prevent those tragedies from happening again. More specifically, appropriate, elaborate pictured readings for 12-18 years old teenagers can be a feasible way to achieve that goal, since teens at this age period are currently experiencing sex maturity and developing their basic cognition about sex.

I carefully examined the cause of China’s lack of sex education in secondary schools from the social atmosphere and the current education system, interviewing with several students, teachers, as well as some parents. After fully considering this social issue, I believe that leveled reading materials with scientific facts and instructions for adolescents could effectively enrich the next generation with proper sex knowledge, and therefore mitigate the sex-related tension in our society. My personal claimed approaches include encouraging more professional teenage book writers and scholars to take charge of those readings that will be included in the national curriculum.

What’s more, I think the additional value of sex education related readings for teens is that they can raise public awareness of the quality of teen-reading content through systematic reviews. The public tends to focus on adult’s literature, and therefore underestimate the importance of teenage readings. However, what teens read could have an assignable impact on their growth, cultivating their cognitive abilities and shaping their values. Furthermore, the proposed creation of proper reading materials for adolescents could potentially fill the current blank of solid solutions for China’s sex education. With more teenagers packed with scientific sex knowledge, more open social environment could be created to remove Chinese sex shame. Sex crimes, especially those targeting adolescents, may be greatly reduced as a result, since a more complete anti-sex-crime system is established. In this way, a better and healthier society can be visioned.

Bibliography

Burki, T. “Sex Education in China Leaves Young Vulnerable to Infection.” The Lancet Infectious Diseases, vol. 16, no. 1, 2016, p. 26, doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(15)00494-6.

Gan, Nectar. “Math Books Outrage China With ‘ugly, Sexually Suggestive, pro-American’ Images.” CNN, 31 May 2022, edition.cnn.com/2022/05/30/china/china-textbook-illustration-controversy-intl-hnk-mic/index.html.

Gao, Y., et al. “AIDS and Sex Education for Young People in China.” Reproduction, Fertility and Development 13(8) 729 - 737, 2002, doi.org/10.1071/RD01082.

Textor, C. Statista. C. Textor, www.statista.com/statistics/1248115/number-of-assault-rape-murder-crimes-in-china. Accessed 17 Aug. 2022.

Young, Gweon You, Ph. D. “Shame and Guilt Mechanisms in East Asian Culture.” Journal of Pastoral Care, vol. 51, no. 1, 1997, pp. 57–64, doi.org/10.1177/002234099705100107.