Taiwan, are you getting a new sex theme park or just teasing us?
The word on the street — or on the Internet at least — is that plans are afoot to develop an erotic entertainment attraction on the island’s Southwest Coast National Scenic Area.
After interest was aroused by details posted on the region’s official website, however, the page was quickly taken down.
The park’s administration director, Cheng Rong-fong, confirmed with CNN that the proposal is real, but he insists it’s just a concept at this point.
“The ideal plan is to realize the proposal within this year if we can gain support from the local government,” said Cheng.
Details of the plan, circulated by a user on Taiwan’s popular PTT online bulletin board, outlined a “Taiwan Romantic Boulevard” sightseeing route with four zones stretching across three counties.
‘Silk road of love’
Each stage has a different theme: “dating paradise,” “scenic spot for wedding gowns,” “silk road of love” and a proposed 10,000-meter-square “sex theme park.”
The sex theme park — or “Garden of Eden” as it’s called in the proposal — will be modeled after other erotic parks around the world including Jeju’s Loveland in South Korea and Vigeland Park in Oslo, Norway.
Claiming to be educational, the park will serve as the final stop of the four-stage journey of love.
It’ll be divided into different sections, covering topics including sex positions, unusual sex lives and sex toys.
“The dating paradise is perfect for those who are more than friends but aren’t officially a couple yet,” the proposal said.
Cheng said that the proposal shouldn’t have been made public before being finalized, but insisted, if realized, that it will help regenerate a neglected area.
“The southwestern coast of Taiwan has been an important salt farm since the Qing Dynasty,” he says.
“It has a unique background, culture and ecological value. Yet, a decade after it was declared a national scenic area, it still hasn’t received much attention from tourists. So we thought to ourselves, is it time to try a new mode of thinking?
“The white powdery salt hill and salt farm have always emitted a romantic feeling for visitors coming to the area,” said Cheng. “That’s why we came up with the idea to be the first dating/wedding-themed park in Taiwan.”
‘Too out of line’
The proposal generated heated debate online.
“This is the first time I find a government proposal interesting,” said one online critic, according to Taiwan’s Now News.
Another said: “We surpass Japan. The pride of Taiwan.”
“This is too out of line,” posted another. “And soon the government will start promoting sex tourism.”
Chang Huang-chen, the deputy commissioner for Yunlin County, the sex park’s proposed home, told the Taipei Times that the idea may not be suitable for traditional-minded locals.
Cheng said he’d received mostly supportive comments, but he welcomed different opinions.
“Sex has always been a taboo in Chinese society,” he added. “But it’s a part of our lives and a very natural thing — why can’t we discuss it openly and generously?”
Aside from the sex park, the rest of the proposal makes use of existing attractions.
“We’re planning to add around 100 landmarks and installations to each of stage to enrich the experience,” said Cheng.
The proposed route starts at the scenic six-story-high salt hill in Cigu County.
It then leads to Beimen, a place famous for its vibrant pre-wedding photo-shooting industry, where “churches” and dozens of other romantic landmarks are built for that purpose.
The third destination, Budai, is a fishing town in Chiayi.
The proposal calls it the right place to take your oath before heading to the sex theme park.
