Cai wenjun/Shanghai Daily news
Prudes beware, the Shanghai International Exhibition Center should be
avoided this week by anyone offended by sex toys, flavored condoms or a little
naughty lingerie.
Manufacturers, professional buyers and people looking to
add a little spark to their sex lives swarmed to the Second China International
Adult Toys and Reproductive Health Exhibition when it opened yesterday.
About
100 domestic and foreign companies that deal in sex-related products are taking
part in the erotic expo, which was set up to develop the industry in China, a
country that is already the biggest producer of such devices.
While china is
also the biggest buyer of sex aids in the world, the country's conservative
attitude toward sex means sales on a per capita basis still have large room for
growth.
Last year's fair attracted more than 20,000 visitors including 2,000
industry insiders. More than 7,000 people took in opening yesterday, leading
organizers to predict the number of visitors this year will jump 30 to 40
percent from last year.
Germany's venus International Fachmesse was brought
in to help the China International Exhibition Center Group Corporation organize
this year's event.
"We want to introduce more international manufacturers and
buyers to China and help more Chinese companies go abroad. CIEC also wants to
make the expo more professional and influential through the cooperation," said
Peter Buebel from Venus, the biggest adult fair organizer in Germany. "Asia is
expected to become a major sex-product market in the next five
years."
According to the China Sex Health Commission, sales of sex products
in China exceeded 100 billion yuan (US$12.33 billion) in 2003, a number that is
expected to grow by 30 percent annually.
"I visited last year's fair and will
participate this year. I am very surprised that many people expressed interest
in our products and some 2,000 brochures were distributed (yesterday)," said
Oliver Redschlag of Joy-division, a German manufacturer.