TALKING about sex is something that can be an uphill struggle in China, but Hu Jiawei, a 26-year-old educator, seeks to break the silence of sex education for children. “What is terrifying is not sex nor sex education, but the public’s wrong cognition,” said Hu, co-founder of Baohudoudou, a sex education company based in the city of Wuxi, Jiangsu Province.

The brainchildren of Hu’s team — from cute cartoons, puppet dramas and picture books to toys and interesting courses — have imparted children secrets of life and sex-related knowledge and made Hu a rising star in the country’s sex education field. Videos of three of his speeches have been viewed online more than 1.5 million times, attracting 720,000 parents nationwide.

Hu and his team were included on Forbes China’s 2017 edition of its annual “30 Under 30 China” list, featuring young innovators, entrepreneurs and leaders who are challenging conventions and making an impact in the world.

Having studied food quality and safety, Hu never expected that he would devote himself to sex education. However, a two-day training course with the themes of contraception and prevention on sexually transmitted diseases like AIDS accidentally changed his mind eight years ago. “I was kind of embarrassed, but the fun-filled contents and teaching method impressed me,” Hu recalled.

He set up a volunteer team to spread what he had learned to college students, and the team began to offer sex education to children from 2013.

No doubt, they had a tough start. His team called nearly every primary school in Wuxi, willing to offer courses on sex education, but was rejected by most of them. “They wouldn’t even let us inside and few attended our free courses in schools and residential communities,” he said. It was not until 2014 that a school accepted the team’s offer. What was more surprising was that they even received praise for their work after the course.

For Hu, sex education includes education on gender, value, physiology, psychology as well as self-protection.

“Children can learn about the origin of life, the difference between boys and girls, changes in their adolescence, as well as how to seek help in the face of danger,” he said. (Xinhua)