SHANGHAI BUND: BY CHOW HOW BAN
MADE-IN-CHINA sex toys, anyone? Yes, these are what customers can buy off the shelves at adult health and sex shops in Shanghai.
Most of the sex toys, accessories and products sold in such outlets are manufactured in places like Guangzhou, Shenyang, Wenzhou, Beijing and Hangzhou.
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Adult products store: This adult shop in East Nanjing Road near the Bund in Shanghai is popular among visitors. Customers can buy sex toys off the shelves at adult health and sex shops. |
A recent visit to an adult shop in busy East Nanjing Road near the Bund showed that many products ranging from dildos, artificial private parts and dolls to Viagra came with product tags stating that they were made in China. Some of them were from countries like Spain and the United States.
To the Chinese, sex products are no longer considered as novelty goods. They are so common that everyone aged 18 and above can buy them in many outlets in the metropolis.
However, they cannot be advertised in public, except for condoms “depending on occasions” as part of the Shanghai municipal government’s effort to promote its safe sex campaign.
The Chinese authorities have an open policy on the production and retailing of these products as they feel that these are important to enhance the sexual life of couples and hence take a step further towards a caring society.
While adult products are tolerated, pornographic videos and publications are still banned in China.
Sweden-based Lelo is among the foreign companies that have invested in either the production, trading or marketing of their sex products in China.
The company, which makes vibrators and other “sensual pleasure objects with contemporary flair,” moved its plant to Suzhou in Jiangsu province two years ago to manufacture and export them to clients all over the world.
“Our products are not mobile phones, jewellery or clothes you buy to show your status. They are made for people who want to do something great and special for themselves and appreciate the beautiful design and quality,” Lelo CEO Filip Sedic said in an interview.
The Lelo vibrators are only available now in the Chinese market even though they have been sold to people from 43 countries in the last four years.
“China is a very special market as there are no high-end shops where our products can be sold. It reminds me of our beginning when we started to sell our products (elsewhere) four years ago.
“We are looking for some high-end shops and I think more such shops will open in China,” he said.
Lelo has no problem dealing with the Chinese authorities that have been “very helpful” and the company “feels very comfortable” with the collaboration, he added.
The products are designed in Sweden and made in Suzhou, but Sedic added, that there is no compromise in the quality of the end product.
“We are doing this the Swedish way, everything by the book. We are extremely careful and have the luxury of doing everything properly,” he said.
Now that the company has registered its trademark, its intellectual property concerns are well taken care of. Sedic said it was time for them to penetrate the Chinese market.
China has the potential to be one of the biggest buyers of sex products in the world, along with the US and Japan.
According to statistics released by the authorities, the total sales of adult and reproductive products recorded in China have reached 50bil yuan (RM22.7bil).
The country is home to some of the major industry players, with the setting-up of more than 1,000 companies in the adult product-related business.
China has the largest adult toy OEM producers in the world and its total production accounts for 80% of the world’s output.
The annual adult and health fairs and conferences in Guangzhou, Wuhan, Fujian, Beijing and Shanghai attracted thousands of visitors and exhibitors looking to break into the market and form joint ventures with local companies.
The upcoming Adult Care Expo 2007, featuring some of the major adult product makers and suppliers from all over the world, will be held from Aug 10 to 12 at INTEX Shanghai.
Buying adult toys is now just a click away. Shy consumers don’t even need to visit adult shops any more to buy the products as they can do it online.
Most Chinese and foreign manufacturers and retailers have their own websites on which their products are widely sold.
Some portals even provide viewers with the latest updates on the industry and the government’s policies.
Despite the fact that China is gaining momentum in the adult industry, producers, suppliers and retailers have their share of problems for flouting the regulations.
Oriental Morning Post reported that Food and Drug Administration officials from the Shanghai municipal government recently spot-checked several shabby outlets in Xuhui district where more than 30 items like fake condoms and potency pills were seized.
Other recent reports said that operators were now selling their sex products openly by placing them outside their outlets in Beijing and that drew complaints from the public.
Police have also arrested an owner of a website selling sex products for allegedly providing visitors the convenience of posting and downloading sex novels on the website.
Compared with other countries that have been in the business for more than 30 years, China is still a newcomer to the adult industry with only about 10 years of experience.
China Healthcare Association’s sexual medical and healthcare sub-council secretary-general Su Weiguo, who was one of the earliest Chinese entrepreneurs to see the potential of the adult industry and founded Huan Xi Tang – China’s largest retail chain – 13 years ago, said more needed to be done to regulate the industry to be on par with the international market.
references:The Star Online
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