NEW YORK -- Parallel to the economic revolution in China is a sexual revolution, particularly among youth, which is having far-reaching consequences on their health and quality of life. Since feu- dal times, sex has been a taboo subject in China. Even today, despite progress in many areas, many Chinese, especially the older generations, consider sex shameful or dirty and refuse to talk about it. Young people's opinions differ greatly from those of their parents. At the same time, boys and girls are becoming sexually mature at a younger age.

An increasing number of Chinese adolescents are engaging in premarital and unprotected sexual activity. As a result, unwanted pregnancies, abortions and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS, are on the rise. China is now in the early stages of a major HIV/AIDS epidemic.

It is estimated that more than 240 million people in China are between 15 and 24, and that some 20 million more people enter adolescence every year. Such an significant segment of the population needs to be informed about sexual matters. A survey conducted by the State Family Planning Commission among 7,000 people, ages 15 to 49, found that 89.2 percent of respondents in cities and 74.6 percent in the countryside agreed that high schools should offer sex education courses. Yet, only in recent years have the first textbooks on sex education been published and distributed in schools.