"These difficulties and challenges have fueled my fighting spirit to some extent. I reminded myself that despite the many baseless attacks and unwarranted criticism, I wouldn't feel defeated."
I've been involved in sexuality education research since 1988. It all began during my time as a graduate student in the Biology Department at Beijing Normal University. Back then, I selected sexuality education as my thesis topic, which caused some concern from my advisor. He was apprehensive that my age and the fact I was unmarried might be a problem for my research. However, I was oblivious to the challenges that lay ahead in this field and firmly believed in the importance of giving the issue the attention it deserved. In retrospect, despite choosing a relatively niche research field, the stable academic environment provided the necessary support to succeed.
My research spanned over 30 years, and now, as the leader of the Children's Sexuality Education Research Team at Beijing Normal University.I work on curriculum development and training, while also learning from young people to share knowledge and expertise through videos and articles on various social media platforms. I share information on children's sexuality education, and in the past two years alone, I've posted over 100 videos on the Bilibili platform at an average rate of one per week. Also, my team and I have co-authored over 200 entries on Baidu related to sexuality education, aimed at providing more professional answers when people search for content related to "children's sexuality education". Colleagues often comment on my never-ending energy, and my workload has even increased since retirement! Nevertheless, I get great satisfaction from my work and feel motivated when I witness the positive impact it has on more and more children and families.
“Many people don’t know the transformative effects of this educational material.”
The educational material that my team and I spent ten years developing, called "Cherish Life," is unfortunately no longer in print because of pressure from some parents and so far, it hasn’t been re-launched. Many parents have reached out to me, asking where they can purchase the materials or if they’ll be made available again. It's disheartening to see that despite the demand, pirated copies are being sold on some platforms for thousands of yuan.
The controversy surrounding the book started when some parents questioned whether the biological illustrations were too graphic, whilst others believed that references to ‘double-income, no-kids’ couples could encourage young people not to marry or have children. These concerns led to a series of large-scale discussions online, ultimately resulting in the withdrawal of the textbooks in the spring of 2019.
I feel that many people don’t know about the transformative effects of this educational material. For instance, a young boy who received sexuality education in our classes learned about the importance of respecting privacy and stopped exposing his genitals. Similarly, a girl who explored the topic of "marriage and divorce" in our curriculum was able to let go of her resentment towards her divorced parents and reached out to her mother to express her love. And a group of children who completed our 72-hour sexuality education course in primary school transitioned more smoothly into adolescence compared to their peers. They developed a more tolerant and fair attitude towards others, improved their interpersonal relationships, and had a more positive experience in junior high school.
"Persist even when faced with difficulties."
It's not easy to present the other side of the story. For a long time, sexuality education wasn’t taken seriously in our society. Many people not only fail to recognize its importance, but also misunderstand it as simply education about "sexual intercourse". These difficulties and challenges have fueled my fighting spirit to some extent. I remind myself that despite the many baseless attacks and unwarranted criticism, I won’t feel defeated.
I feel a pressing need to amplify my voice so that the public can gain a better understanding of the crucial work I am doing in the realm of children's sexuality education. These thoughts have gradually transformed me from the reserved academic I used to be, into the expert in children's sexuality education I am now who is "going public" on social media platforms.
I often describe every step taken by my team and me as breaking through the ice, trying to shatter the stereotypes that the public holds and deepen their understanding of sexuality education. However, my ultimate dream is to become a pioneer of Chinese children's sexuality education. I believe that there is immense potential for China to support the healthy development of children and adolescents through the expansion of sexuality education. This reinforces my belief that my research in this field is meaningful and worthy of my lifelong dedication.
