Shock and Outrage... Over Sex

Conservatives were outraged the adult-only show was held in Central

This weekend there was the first ever adult-only carnival held in Hong Kong, featuring male strippers, pole dancers, Japanese porn actresses, and even an artist who paints with his penis.

Hong Kong has trade shows for the sex industry, but this was the debut of an event that targeted consumers and local lawmakers freaked out.

Pole dancing performances were on

City officials received about 70 complaints about 18+ Central, which was held this weekend in two big white tents in Central's harbourfront. The objections were mainly because this sex-themed event was held in a public space that is meant for families.

The organizer, Vertical Expo Services, estimated some 35,000 visitors passed through the gates from Friday to Sunday. Kenny Lo, chief executive of VES said they had received an entertainment license and complied with the Control of Obscene and Indecent Articles Ordinance.

"The lack of such an event in the past simply showed Hong Kong was very backward, compared to major cities in mainland China and overseas," Lo said.

One of the more vocal opponents was Executive Council member Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee.

"We don't really want any sleazy... activity to take place in the most prestigious and beautiful parts of our city, which is the harbourfront," she said.

Ip, who questioned whether the show was compatible with public morals and Hong Kong's image as a "sophisticated and clean city", was not entirely against the concept, but felt Mongkok might have been a more appropriate setting.

There was even an artist who used his body part to paint...

Now that's stereotyping! And what's wrong with an event that's being held in big tents? They are not disturbing anyone, let alone anyone's view. Last week Art Central was held in similar tents with art showing naked bodies. Is that considered obscene compared to a sex show?

Her other line of argument was that having such an event near the government and legislative headquarters was not in good taste. But that's where the harbourfront happens to be!

Obviously the staff who approved the license will be raked over the coals for this event, but as long as children cannot get into the venue, what's the big deal?

And besides, with Hong Kong's birth rate so low, this adult-only show may inspire some couples to inject a bit more excitement in their lives and have more sex, or at least learn a few tips. Not only may it lead to some babies, but also stress relief for many...

Xi's Internet Vision

Xi Jinping gives the keynote address calling for a system of cybersecurity

The World Internet Conference has started in Wuzhen, Zhejiang province, and it seems there are double standards when it comes to foreign reporters and local ones covering the event.

Turns out all overseas guests and tech tycoons were given a Mi Note LTE by Xiaomi, for not only making calls but also using wifi.

All these smartphones were pre-installed with an app offering helpful information about the conference agenda, and was theirs to keep after the conference.

The coveted Xiaomi phone to jump the firewall

Also -- the guests reported being given special access to websites that are usually blocked on the mainland, such as Facebook, Twitter and Google.

One Hong Kong reporter was put in a hotel near the conference site and was given an individual account and password for his in-room wifi.

There he was able to access the normally blocked sites. But if he switched off the account and tried to use the regular internet, he was unable to access the same sites.

Local media not only did not get the Xiaomi phone, nor special access to the blocked sites. Even worse, they had to stay in hotels further away from the conference venue.

Meanwhile Chinese President Xi Jinping gave a 30-minute speech, spelling out his vision for a new system of cybersecurity governance to prevent cyberterrorism, and that each country had its right to set its own rules.

"There should be no internet hegemony. No interference in another country's internal affairs. No engagement in tolerating or supporting internet activities that damage another country's national security," Xi said. "We should respect other countries' rights to peaceful involvement in international cyberspace governance, including their choices of internet development, regulation and public policies."

Not having access to the internet is counterproductive

Ah, that favourite word -- hegemony. Only China uses it liberally to jab at countries like the United States for its supposed control over the world.

But really, no one "owns" the internet. While it is understandable that it needs to be regulated for things like violent pornography, racism, holocaust deniers and so on, the internet should be accessible to everyone who wants access to information.

We are living in an age where being able to access this information is so crucial to one's education, job and well-being that to deny it to people by claiming the need to regulate for "national security" is not the way to help a country develop its citizens and economy.

It seems like the Chinese government wants its people to remain in the dark -- one of the last few ways it can control its citizens through the information they receive.

It's quite ironic China is hosting this internet conference and trying to persuade others of its case for each country controlling its own internet and not to interfere in other countries' affairs.

Sound familiar?

Chinese Hi-tech Firms Highly Sexist

Adult film star Sola Aoi was cited in Alibaba's recruitment ad

China likes to say that "women hold up half the sky", back in Mao Zedong's days, and even then that wasn't true either.

Seems like the country has hardly moved ahead when it comes to gender equality, but perhaps these days criticism may finally get things going in the right direction.

JD.com's ad for International Nurses Day last month drew ire

Nasdaq-listed online marketplace JD.com promoted International Nurses Day with images of health workers in lingerie-like uniforms.

"I will never buy things from JD again. What disgusting behaviour!" one woman wrote.

The firm quickly yanked the ad and apologized.

Meanwhile on e-commerce giant Alibaba's official recruitment website, its ad said the company was looking for support staff for computer programmers, mentioning porn star Sola Aoi.

"You can be like 'Teacher Aoi' whose virtue and skills comprise a doubly strong and pervasive fragrance, the world in her breast," the ad read.

"You can be like Song Hye-kyo, from a respectable family, a heavenly beauty, who makes fish sink and birds alight, who obscures the moon and makes flowers blush," it said, referring to a mainstream South Korean actress.

Nothing mentioned about what office-related skills they should have or language ability...

It turns out Chinese technology companies have a history of inviting Japanese adult film stars to events. While the authorities ban online content they deem pornographic, illegal downloads have allowed adult film actresses to have huge followings in China.

Rola Takizawa on stage at an event hosted by Qihoo

In 2013, NetEase invited Anri Okita to its offices, where she ate lunch and took pictures with male staff. Shanghai-based gaming company Dream invited Yui Hatano to its annual company party last year, and internet security company Qihoo 360 hosted Rola Takizawa.

One wonders what the female staff at these companies thought of the company fueling their male colleague's carnal desires in the workplace... or they just shook their heads and continued working...

"In mainstream [Chinese] society, there is objectification of women and gender inequality," said Wang Ping of the Zhejiang Academy of Social Sciences. "It might be more serious in technology companies."

For now, though it seems Alibaba has learned its lesson. Following criticism, it removed the ad and apologized.

It was "intended to be an attempt at humorous marketing to recruit IT talent," the company said. "We apologize to anyone offended... Alibaba is committed to providing equal opportunity and fair treatment to all employees on the basis of merit, without discrimination."

Until attitudes seriously change from the top, sexism will continue to be rampant in China's companies... which means with men in charge, it probably won't change anytime soon...