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Macau Sex Fair Kicks Off Amid Growing Asian Demand
August 19, 2011

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Macau. Sexy lingerie, adult costumes, inflatable dolls and much more are on display at an adult industry trade fair in the Chinese territory of Macau that shows how China's growing influence has spread even to the bedroom.

The fourth annual Asia Adult Expo kicked off Friday with companies showing off sexy products aimed at China's growing middle class. The adult industry is looking to tap mainland China and Asian markets amid the downturn in the U.S. and Europe.

Show exhibitors said many Chinese now have more open-minded views about sex, which is driving demand for their products. The expo's organizers said they plan to launch similar fairs later this year in other parts of China, which also churns out nearly three quarters of the world's sex toys.

Estimates of the size of the adult industry in China are hard to come by. But the state-run China Daily newspaper said in a report last year that China produces 70 percent of the world's sex toys, making it the world's biggest producer. The industry, with more than 1,000 manufacturers, is worth about $2 billion annually, it said.

"The standard of living in China is rising and people want to upgrade their lifestyle so the market needs these products," said Bo Chen, as he sat next to samples of his company's main product, a lifelike and anatomically correct female sex doll made of rubbery, flesh-like material.

Chen owned a chemical factory in China's Jiangsu province but three years ago he decided to start making sex toys because he sensed there was an opportunity.

Chen, president of Jurong Outlook Toys & Gifts Manufacturing Co., said he and several friends pooled their money to start the business.

He is hoping to meet potential customers among the 2,500 trade visitors and 30,000 members of the general public expected at the Macau fair. It was his first visit to the annual show, which started four years ago.

The United States and Europe have traditionally been the biggest markets for the adult industry. But slumping economies there are curtailing growth while competition and low profit margins are also making life hard for companies, said Kenny Lo, chief executive of show organizer Vertical Expo.

But in Asia the market is much more undeveloped so "there is much potential for growth," Lo said. Adult product manufacturers have told him that in America and Europe, "it's a very tough time right now but in mainland China and Asia, it's good."

Associated Press