Hong Kong publishes a guide to prevent premarital intimacy. The authorities are becoming a laughing stock around the world – but they are also creating a flirtatious atmosphere.
Who gives young people such advice? The Hong Kong Education Department has published a 70-page guide on how to deal with premarital intimacy. An English-language version is available for download from the official website. The focus is clearly on instructing young people on how to prevent unwanted pregnancies, for example. While this approach may not be unusual for an authority, details in the booklet are amusing – and a completely new approach.
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What does the authority recommend? Really badminton, instead of…? Yes, really. In a chapter with case studies to present the young people with certain situations in which they might be tempted to give themselves to each other and make out, they give a sporting tip: play badminton instead to distract yourself from desire.
This has caused a lot of amusement, but also some head-shaking. For example, there is a post on Facebook that humorously contrasts the implicit come-on “Netflix and chill?” with the new Chinese equivalent: “Do you want to play badminton together?” The authorities, however, reject the criticism that they are lacking in closeness to the young population as unjustified, as the BBC reports: “We want to protect the young people,” insists Christine Choi, Hong Kong’s Minister for Education.
Does Hong Kong have any other interesting support for its young people? Yes, indeed. The guide also includes a form that young people can fill out, in which they commit to abstinence and moral behavior. The authority also advises them to dress modestly so as not to stimulate anyone around them with visual stimuli.
How is the public in Hong Kong reacting? There is no representative opinion, but the subjective impression of the media from outside and comments from citizens of the metropolis paint a clear picture: the advice is perceived as strange and unrealistic. The BBC lets a father of a daughter (13) and a son (10) have his say:
The Hong Kong government is clueless, it is making a fool of itself. My wife and I will take on the task of educating people ourselves, that is not the job of the school or the state.
Is Hong Kong acting independently here? It is part of China, right? In the case of Hong Kong, questions about independent behavior and decisions are difficult to answer because on paper the metropolis retains its autonomy even after joining China as a special administrative region. In practice, however, this is far less clear. Chinese influence is great, but the guide only applies to Hong Kong. It does not affect the rest of China.
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