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Gender, Sexuality, and Social Change in Contemporary China

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Abstract

Drawing upon Raymond Williams’ notion of culture and in-depth interviews with 40 women, this article examines forces that have shaped the landscape of sexuality in China. It argues that the process of changing sexuality contains multiple and overlapping forms of sexual culture, in which the party-state’s ideology, emergent sexual cultures and traditional Chinese beliefs intertwine and struggle. In addition to age-based differences in attitudes towards sexual practices within studies of youth culture, this study incorporates a class-based variable into the account.

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Notes

  1. Nanjing yi fu jiaoshou zuzhi juzong yinluan bei qishu (An associate professor in Nanjing prosecuted for organizing licentious activities), Xinhua News Agency, March 11, 2010. http://news.sina.com.cn/s/2010-03-11/143419842367.shtml. Accessed 30 November 2011.

  2. Nanjing yi fu jiaoshou zuzhi juzong yinluan bei qishu (An associate professor in Nanjing prosecuted for organizing licentious activities), Xinhua News Agency, news website, March 11, 2010. http://news.sina.com.cn/s/2010-03-11/143419842367.shtml. Accessed 30 November 2011.

  3. Yan’an fuqi zaijia kan huangpian bei zhua (A married couple in Yan’an was arrested when watching a porn movie at home), Huashang wang news, December 17, 2006. http://www.voc.com.cn/Topic/article/201206/201206171755101696.html. Accessed 26 December 2011.

  4. Shanghai renda daibiao: zhencao shi nuhai zuihao de jiazhuang (A Shanghai representative of the People’s Congress Bai Wanqing: viginity is the best bride gift), Changjiang ribao (Changjiang Daily), March 4, 2011. http://news.sohu.com/20110303/n279630461.shtml. Accessed 5 November 2011.

  5. Hubei weishi tui gongyi lei jiemu, yao zhencao nusheng jiang daode (Hubei Satellite TV plans to launch a program for public interest, and invites the goddess of chastity to lecture morality). March 28, 2012, Changjiang ribao (Changjiang Daily). http://www.timenews.cn/a/20120328/42588.html. Accessed 26 September 2013.

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Correspondence to Fang Chen.

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All procedures performed in this study involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of Concordia University Research Commitee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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This article does not contain any studies with animals performed by any of the authors.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Chen, F. Gender, Sexuality, and Social Change in Contemporary China. Sexuality & Culture 21, 953–975 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-017-9435-9

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