Showing posts with label Due West - Our Sex Journey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Due West - Our Sex Journey. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
SCMP: Stereotypical View Of HK Women A Turn-Off [Roast Pork Sliced From A Rusty Cleaver] (飲水思源)
Sep 22, 2012
The film Due West: My Sex Journey opened this week and if the massive turnout for last year's 3D Sex and Zen: Extreme Ecstasy - by the same producer and with some of the same actors - is anything to go by, this soft-porn flick will be bagging movie-goers by the dozen. On the face of it, the film offers exactly the kind of light-hearted, unabashed conversation about sex that the city sorely needs. After all, our fertility rate stands at a paltry 1.2 children per woman, and a survey last year showed men and women were satisfied with having sex just 1.9 and 1.6 times a week, respectively.
It's a pity, however, that the movie does so at the expense of Hong Kong women. The movie follows the exploits of Frankie, an average twentysomething in marketing who, after being repeatedly thwarted in various sexual encounters in Hong Kong, heads to Dongguan, to seek out a prostitute.
The movie does well in replicating the earnest, no-holds-barred contemplation that is the winning quality of the original online posts, on which the film is based. But it falls down in its portrayal of Hong Kong women. All are self-absorbed, demanding and materialistic - archetypal "princessy" kong nui. And there is nothing coy about the way the writer-director presents Hong Kong women as the root of the problem; they might as well be blamed for the city's low fertility rate and sex drive as well. As such, the movie stands as the perfect apologist for the 29 per cent of Hong Kong men who admitted infidelity in a recent survey.
Writer Yeeshan Yang says in her book, Whispers and Moans: Interviews With the Men and Women of Hong Kong's Sex Industry, that Hong Kong men "find little sexual release in dealing with these cold, passionless angels" that are Hong Kong women. In this movie, the women are cold and passionless, but are not angels. By contrast, the Dongguan prostitutes are soft-spoken, buxom and ready to please.
If the premise that women are responsible for the city's lack of sex life only existed in the movie, it would not matter so much. What's disturbing is that this perception is widespread.
The Due West story became popular because it rang true. Luk Kit-ling, vice-chairperson of the Association for the Advancement of Feminism, says the idea that a woman should shoulder the burden for disharmony in bed is a thread that runs through many local movies, novels and TV shows. Online forums abound with assertions like "going to a prostitute is better than going for a kong nui".
Men visit prostitutes. According to a 2006 study by Chinese University, 12 per cent of respondents in Hong Kong had done so over the previous six months. If they do, they should not blame the women, just as women who pay for sex - and signs are that more and more of them do - should not blame the men.
Blaming the women is an easy way to displace responsibility and ignore an unsettling possibility: that the men might not be masters of seduction, either. The movie concedes as much. Frankie is a buttoned-up, overgrown man-boy who begs his parents to let him buy his own underwear. Blaming women also takes us back to the dated assumption that women have no sexual needs. It takes two to tango, and society should expect the men to step up.
Joyce Man is a freelance journalist based in Hong Kong (SCMP)
SCMP: Due West, Online Novel About Sex Tourism In Dongguan, Now A Movie [Roast Pork Sliced From A Rusty Cleaver] (飲水思源)
Sep 9, 2012
A clutch of scantily clad young women sit giggling and striking sexy poses as their fancy two-tier sofa revolves.
Each wears a number. Their hope is that one of the group of men ogling them will pick them out for a night of passion.
But their job is not just to please these men who have come all the way to the mainland for sex, but also to soothe their wounded egos and bolster their masculine pride.
As the men get ready to make their move, there is a shout.
"Cut!" It's director Mark Wu Yiu-fai, releasing the actors for a break. This is not a brothel, but a set for the movie Due West: My Sex Journey, a screen adaptation of an online erotic novel about a young Hong Kong man's adventures in seeking sex services, and more, in Dongguan, Guangdong.
While many know about the cross-border sex trade, it is rarely discussed. Books and movies, though, provide an insight into a dark facet of city life.
Hong Kong director Pang Ho-cheung did it with his 2003 comedy Men Suddenly in Black, which tells the story of a group of obedient married men organising a sex trip to mainland behind the backs of their wives and girlfriends. A decade later, Due West is another attempt.
And it seems Wu has got the mood just right. For one of those on set the scene is very familiar.
"This really looks like those places in Dongguan," says 38-year-old married Hongkonger "Simon", one of the movie's extras posing as customers on the set. Simon agrees to talk as long as his real name is not used.
"You know, tenderness is not to be found from your wife," he says. "A wife is not as good as a concubine; a concubine is not as good as a secret affair; and a secret affair is not as good as one that you desire, but who's beyond your reach. It is this excitement that makes men want to go to these places. In here, you can enjoy the lifestyle of a king that you will never have at home with your woman."
The story of Due West is based on a series of online stories written by a mysterious author calling himself Xiang Xi Murakami Haruki, who posted his tales within the popular internet community Golden Forum. Among them, Epic Prostitution Report: Dongguan Forest earned the most attention.
Divided into five chapters, the story is written in the first person and tells of a 25-year-old man's first "evil massage" experience in Dongguan.
Characterised by colloquialisms, jokes, frustration about his relationships, and an unusually sympathetic attitude towards the "masseur", the story went viral and caught the eyes of a publisher, who turned it and other, shorter pieces into the book Due West: My Sex Journey. Published at the start of the year, the book has sold more than 30,000 copies. China 3D Digital Entertainment, the company that produced 3D Sex and Zen: Extreme Ecstasy, bought the movie rights and turned the story into a 3D erotic comedy for release this month.
The original stories became so popular not just because they were hilarious, but also because they rang true. To Simon, Hong Kong men paying for sex on the mainland is "normal".
He had his first mainland sex service when he was 15 at a "hair salon". "A friend opened the salon and invited me to get my hair washed there," he recalls. "I thought it was weird. As my hair was washed, the girl massaged my head, shoulders and then all the way down. I was shocked. It was in 1989 and it cost me 20 yuan (HK$24)."
Today, Simon goes to Dongguan to enjoy "Guan style" services. He says that usually men go in a group of four to five, gathering in Sheung Shui station at between 3pm and 4pm to arrive before 6pm to pick girls. Customers are allowed to touch the girls and ask them to jump up and down to show they have not had breast augmentation surgery.
An encounter costs somewhere between 300 yuan and 1,100 yuan, depending on the venue, the kind of service, and whether a customer wants to spend the night. Girls also give customers a special bath. "Some want sex, but others only want to have a chat with a sweet, pretty girl and enjoy some tenderness from a woman," Simon says.
Some pricier hostess clubs apply room charges and miscellaneous service charges, DJ fees and drinks that can bring the bill up to 3,000 yuan to 4,000 yuan, excluding fees for the girls - which, Simon adds, is more expensive than Macau.
Simon says that some large venues offer 200 to 300 girls in skimpy or see-through outfits for customers to choose from. The girls gather in the lounge early on so customers can take time to browse. At other places, girls are lined up and brought into rooms for customers to select.
"Mostly the girls are in their 20s," he says. "They come from all over China, in various styles and physiques. You can definitely pick one you like." How often does he go? "That depends on whether my wife is checking on me." And how much has he spent over the years? "Probably enough to have bought a flat," Simon laughs. "But there's a chance that you get caught, not just by your wife. Police inspect these venues from time to time."
Despite all the hassles - and the risk of getting caught - some men cannot resist making the trip to Dongguan every now and then. "That's because you don't find this tenderness in reality… such as feeding you a piece of melon," says 34-year-old "John", another extra inDue West.
"You can never get that [from Hong Kong women]. Men are egoistic. We need to be respected, and these venues give us the respect that we need. It's true that I pay for it. It's a kind of service. It's fake. But it's worth it," John says.
"Men are afraid of being controlled. Many Hong Kong women suffer from the 'princess syndrome'. They want to tie their men down, but it never works," Simon says. "Xiang Xi's story strikes a chord with many of us."
The Immigration Department does not provide records of how many Hong Kong men cross the border, but last year the Lo Wu border crossing recorded more than 36 million trips by Hong Kong residents, while the Hung Hom control point recorded about 875,000.
Author Xiang Xi hired a prostitute for the first time in Dongguan when he was 25. He says that while he is not addicted to such services, he agrees men would rather pay for sex and fun and avoid the trouble of a girlfriend. He says that, unlike in the past, where it was mostly middle-aged men who sought prostitutes on the mainland, today more young men go there because of information on the internet.
"Just a few hundred dollars can get you the kind of experience that you can never get from your girlfriend," says 27-year-old Xiang Xi, who only agrees to answer questions via e-mail. "In mainland China, where everything can be fake, and even the food can be toxic, at least the sexual services are real."
Does this weigh on men's consciences? "Many don't consider visiting a prostitute to be cheating," Xiang Xi adds. "A sexual adventure does not necessarily involve emotions. And if you are not emotionally involved [with another woman], technically you are not cheating."
Matthew Yau Kwai-sang, the chairman of the Hong Kong Association of Sexuality Educators, Researchers and Therapists, has counselled many couples facing problems over infidelity - usually the husband's visits to prostitutes on the mainland.
There are a number of factors that can induce men to seek sex outside of relationships, Yau said, including work pressure and unsatisfactory sexual relationships at home. This in turn has boosted demand for sex workers.
Society's view of sex had also changed. Sex trips to the mainland are now a social activity. "For some men, it's entertainment. They don't tell their wives. It's like going fishing," Yau says.
Yau believes poor sex education and the lack of tolerance for changing gender roles contribute to these problems.
"People don't deal with their sexual relationships properly," he says. "Hong Kong women don't know how to handle these matters. Even if they are sexually incompatible with their men, they are not willing to acknowledge the issue and try to fix it. A lot of times women only discover their men have been hiring prostitutes when they contract sexually transmitted diseases."
And, Yau says, men still want to be household heroes, even though the realities of modern life may be different.
According to government statistics, the number of women earning HK$30,000 a month or more has risen 43 per cent from 115,800 in 2001 to 165,900 in 2010. At the same time, the number of men earning the same amount only increased by 14 per cent, from 262,700 in 2001 to 300,000.
"Gender roles are changing. It's relatively more common for men in the West to be the homemaker if their wives make more money than them," Yau says. "But here, men are unwilling to change, and such changes lower their self-esteem. Local TV dramas reinforce traditional gender roles. Men have no other models to follow. They have no way out." (SCMP)
CRI/FBA: "Due West: My Sex Journey" Has Eastern Promise
Sina-gallery: Hong Kong premiere, Sept
 |
| Poster |
Each wears a number. Their hope is that one of the group of men ogling them will pick them out for a night of passion.
But their job is not just to please these men who have come all the way to the mainland for sex, but also to soothe their wounded egos and bolster their masculine pride.
As the men get ready to make their move, there is a shout.
"Cut!" It's director Mark Wu Yiu-fai, releasing the actors for a break. This is not a brothel, but a set for the movie Due West: My Sex Journey, a screen adaptation of an online erotic novel about a young Hong Kong man's adventures in seeking sex services, and more, in Dongguan, Guangdong.
While many know about the cross-border sex trade, it is rarely discussed. Books and movies, though, provide an insight into a dark facet of city life.
Hong Kong director Pang Ho-cheung did it with his 2003 comedy Men Suddenly in Black, which tells the story of a group of obedient married men organising a sex trip to mainland behind the backs of their wives and girlfriends. A decade later, Due West is another attempt.
And it seems Wu has got the mood just right. For one of those on set the scene is very familiar.
"This really looks like those places in Dongguan," says 38-year-old married Hongkonger "Simon", one of the movie's extras posing as customers on the set. Simon agrees to talk as long as his real name is not used.
"You know, tenderness is not to be found from your wife," he says. "A wife is not as good as a concubine; a concubine is not as good as a secret affair; and a secret affair is not as good as one that you desire, but who's beyond your reach. It is this excitement that makes men want to go to these places. In here, you can enjoy the lifestyle of a king that you will never have at home with your woman."
The story of Due West is based on a series of online stories written by a mysterious author calling himself Xiang Xi Murakami Haruki, who posted his tales within the popular internet community Golden Forum. Among them, Epic Prostitution Report: Dongguan Forest earned the most attention.
Divided into five chapters, the story is written in the first person and tells of a 25-year-old man's first "evil massage" experience in Dongguan.
 |
| Daniella Wang (WangLi Danni), Justin Cheung |
The original stories became so popular not just because they were hilarious, but also because they rang true. To Simon, Hong Kong men paying for sex on the mainland is "normal".
He had his first mainland sex service when he was 15 at a "hair salon". "A friend opened the salon and invited me to get my hair washed there," he recalls. "I thought it was weird. As my hair was washed, the girl massaged my head, shoulders and then all the way down. I was shocked. It was in 1989 and it cost me 20 yuan (HK$24)."
Today, Simon goes to Dongguan to enjoy "Guan style" services. He says that usually men go in a group of four to five, gathering in Sheung Shui station at between 3pm and 4pm to arrive before 6pm to pick girls. Customers are allowed to touch the girls and ask them to jump up and down to show they have not had breast augmentation surgery.
An encounter costs somewhere between 300 yuan and 1,100 yuan, depending on the venue, the kind of service, and whether a customer wants to spend the night. Girls also give customers a special bath. "Some want sex, but others only want to have a chat with a sweet, pretty girl and enjoy some tenderness from a woman," Simon says.
 |
| Mo Qiwen, a pirate Zhang Jingchu (look-alike) |
Simon says that some large venues offer 200 to 300 girls in skimpy or see-through outfits for customers to choose from. The girls gather in the lounge early on so customers can take time to browse. At other places, girls are lined up and brought into rooms for customers to select.
"Mostly the girls are in their 20s," he says. "They come from all over China, in various styles and physiques. You can definitely pick one you like." How often does he go? "That depends on whether my wife is checking on me." And how much has he spent over the years? "Probably enough to have bought a flat," Simon laughs. "But there's a chance that you get caught, not just by your wife. Police inspect these venues from time to time."
Despite all the hassles - and the risk of getting caught - some men cannot resist making the trip to Dongguan every now and then. "That's because you don't find this tenderness in reality… such as feeding you a piece of melon," says 34-year-old "John", another extra inDue West.
"You can never get that [from Hong Kong women]. Men are egoistic. We need to be respected, and these venues give us the respect that we need. It's true that I pay for it. It's a kind of service. It's fake. But it's worth it," John says.
"Men are afraid of being controlled. Many Hong Kong women suffer from the 'princess syndrome'. They want to tie their men down, but it never works," Simon says. "Xiang Xi's story strikes a chord with many of us."
The Immigration Department does not provide records of how many Hong Kong men cross the border, but last year the Lo Wu border crossing recorded more than 36 million trips by Hong Kong residents, while the Hung Hom control point recorded about 875,000.
Author Xiang Xi hired a prostitute for the first time in Dongguan when he was 25. He says that while he is not addicted to such services, he agrees men would rather pay for sex and fun and avoid the trouble of a girlfriend. He says that, unlike in the past, where it was mostly middle-aged men who sought prostitutes on the mainland, today more young men go there because of information on the internet.
"Just a few hundred dollars can get you the kind of experience that you can never get from your girlfriend," says 27-year-old Xiang Xi, who only agrees to answer questions via e-mail. "In mainland China, where everything can be fake, and even the food can be toxic, at least the sexual services are real."
Does this weigh on men's consciences? "Many don't consider visiting a prostitute to be cheating," Xiang Xi adds. "A sexual adventure does not necessarily involve emotions. And if you are not emotionally involved [with another woman], technically you are not cheating."
Matthew Yau Kwai-sang, the chairman of the Hong Kong Association of Sexuality Educators, Researchers and Therapists, has counselled many couples facing problems over infidelity - usually the husband's visits to prostitutes on the mainland.
There are a number of factors that can induce men to seek sex outside of relationships, Yau said, including work pressure and unsatisfactory sexual relationships at home. This in turn has boosted demand for sex workers.
Society's view of sex had also changed. Sex trips to the mainland are now a social activity. "For some men, it's entertainment. They don't tell their wives. It's like going fishing," Yau says.
Yau believes poor sex education and the lack of tolerance for changing gender roles contribute to these problems.
"People don't deal with their sexual relationships properly," he says. "Hong Kong women don't know how to handle these matters. Even if they are sexually incompatible with their men, they are not willing to acknowledge the issue and try to fix it. A lot of times women only discover their men have been hiring prostitutes when they contract sexually transmitted diseases."
And, Yau says, men still want to be household heroes, even though the realities of modern life may be different.
According to government statistics, the number of women earning HK$30,000 a month or more has risen 43 per cent from 115,800 in 2001 to 165,900 in 2010. At the same time, the number of men earning the same amount only increased by 14 per cent, from 262,700 in 2001 to 300,000.
"Gender roles are changing. It's relatively more common for men in the West to be the homemaker if their wives make more money than them," Yau says. "But here, men are unwilling to change, and such changes lower their self-esteem. Local TV dramas reinforce traditional gender roles. Men have no other models to follow. They have no way out." (SCMP)
CRI/FBA: "Due West: My Sex Journey" Has Eastern Promise
Sina-gallery: Hong Kong premiere, Sept
Due West: Our Sex Journey 3D (Variety review)
Due West: Our Sex Journey 3D
By RICHARD KUIPERS
A China 3D Digital Entertainment (in Hong Kong)/Dream Movie Australia (in Australia) release of a China 3D Digital Entertainment production. (International sales: China 3D Digital Distribution, Hong Kong.) Produced by Christopher Sun. Directed by Mark Wu. Screenplay, Lam Fung, Wu, based on the online story "Dongguan Wood" by Xiang Xi Murakami Haruki.
With: Justin Cheung, Gregory Wong, Mark Wu, Mo Qi Wen, Celia Kwok, Jeana Ho, Jessica Kizaki, Daniella Wang, Eva Li, Angelina Zhang, Tony Ho, Lily Ng, Sit Lap Yin, Wylie Chiu. (Cantonese, Mandarin, English, Japanese dialogue)
By RICHARD KUIPERS
A China 3D Digital Entertainment (in Hong Kong)/Dream Movie Australia (in Australia) release of a China 3D Digital Entertainment production. (International sales: China 3D Digital Distribution, Hong Kong.) Produced by Christopher Sun. Directed by Mark Wu. Screenplay, Lam Fung, Wu, based on the online story "Dongguan Wood" by Xiang Xi Murakami Haruki.
With: Justin Cheung, Gregory Wong, Mark Wu, Mo Qi Wen, Celia Kwok, Jeana Ho, Jessica Kizaki, Daniella Wang, Eva Li, Angelina Zhang, Tony Ho, Lily Ng, Sit Lap Yin, Wylie Chiu. (Cantonese, Mandarin, English, Japanese dialogue)
Opening as a reasonably amusing "American Pie"-like account of a randy Hong Kong teenager's sexual awakening, "Due West: Our Sex Journey 3D" gradually becomes flaccid as its protag enters adulthood and seeks fulfillment in bawdy houses on the mainland. A parade of buxom beauties in birthday suits guarantees robust domestic and regional B.O. for this China Digital Entertainment production, but pedestrian scripting and direction make it unlikely to outperform the company's 2011 hit, "3D Sex and Zen: Extreme Ecstasy." Pic opened Sept. 20 in H.K., Australia and New Zealand. North American release details are pending.
Like "Sex and Zen," "Due West" can expect to attract auds from mainland China, where, owing to censorship issues, the film is not skedded for release. In a novel marketing approach recalling bygone days of gender-segregated, exploitation-movie tent shows, some Hong Kong cinemas will be offering "women only" screenings.
The source material is a popular series of Internet stories by pseudonymous author Xiang Xi Murakami Haruki that satirized conservative Hong Kong society while drawing attention to the sex industry in nearby mainland city Dongguan.
Narrating the story of his life thus far, twentysomething Frankie (Justin Cheung) first appears as the nerdy teenage son of a disciplinarian mother (Lily Ng) and subservient father (Tony Ho). Driven by raging hormones and supplied with adult viewing material by cool buddy Wang Jing (Sit Lap Yin), Frankie feeds his sexual fantasies via Japanese adult-video star Jessica Kizaki before losing his virginity in a drunken haze that ruins a budding romance with nice girl Zoey (Mo Qi Wen).
The humor here is more cheeky than raunchy, with the notable exception of a very funny gross-out scene in which Frankie's onanistic activities wreak havoc at a family mahjong game. Laughs are in much shorter supply once Frankie enters his 20s and finds himself stuck in a sexually frustrating relationship with clean-freak Zeta (Celia Kwok). Reunited with Wang Jing (now played by Gregory Wong) and egged on by gas-bag co-worker James (helmer and co-scripter Mark Wu), Frankie winds up in Dongguan bordellos, where he beds a succession of beautiful working girls including Fish (Jeana Ho) and Celia (Daniella Wang).
Screenplay by Wu and Lam Fung at least attempts to wedge some analysis of male-female relationships between bedroom bouts, but Frankie's commentary on the meaning of his frisky behavior and longing for true love has a bland, heard-it-all-before ring to it. Thesping is adequate, even though the cast consists almost exclusively of models with limited acting experience, but the name of the game here is naked flesh, and the pic keeps its promise with a bountiful supply of bodacious bodies.
Acquiring a sheen lacking when the actors are clothed, Howard Cheung's stereoscopic photography of intimate activity shows the spectacle in simple, effective wide shots and avoids disorienting closeups that helped kill off the first wave of 3D skin pics in the '70s. Other technical elements are OK.
Camera (color, HD, 3D), Howard Leung; editor, Cheng Wai Lun; music, Victor Tse; art director, Tony Yu; costume designer, Rennie Tse; sound (stereo), Ken Wong, Ip Siu-kei; 3D director, Henry Chung; visual effects, Legendtoonland; associate producer, Allen Chan; assistant directors, Amen Liu, Brenda Wong. Reviewed at Palace Nova Eastend Cinema, Adelaide, Sept. 20, 2012. Running time: 119 MIN.
Like "Sex and Zen," "Due West" can expect to attract auds from mainland China, where, owing to censorship issues, the film is not skedded for release. In a novel marketing approach recalling bygone days of gender-segregated, exploitation-movie tent shows, some Hong Kong cinemas will be offering "women only" screenings.
The source material is a popular series of Internet stories by pseudonymous author Xiang Xi Murakami Haruki that satirized conservative Hong Kong society while drawing attention to the sex industry in nearby mainland city Dongguan.
Narrating the story of his life thus far, twentysomething Frankie (Justin Cheung) first appears as the nerdy teenage son of a disciplinarian mother (Lily Ng) and subservient father (Tony Ho). Driven by raging hormones and supplied with adult viewing material by cool buddy Wang Jing (Sit Lap Yin), Frankie feeds his sexual fantasies via Japanese adult-video star Jessica Kizaki before losing his virginity in a drunken haze that ruins a budding romance with nice girl Zoey (Mo Qi Wen).
The humor here is more cheeky than raunchy, with the notable exception of a very funny gross-out scene in which Frankie's onanistic activities wreak havoc at a family mahjong game. Laughs are in much shorter supply once Frankie enters his 20s and finds himself stuck in a sexually frustrating relationship with clean-freak Zeta (Celia Kwok). Reunited with Wang Jing (now played by Gregory Wong) and egged on by gas-bag co-worker James (helmer and co-scripter Mark Wu), Frankie winds up in Dongguan bordellos, where he beds a succession of beautiful working girls including Fish (Jeana Ho) and Celia (Daniella Wang).
Screenplay by Wu and Lam Fung at least attempts to wedge some analysis of male-female relationships between bedroom bouts, but Frankie's commentary on the meaning of his frisky behavior and longing for true love has a bland, heard-it-all-before ring to it. Thesping is adequate, even though the cast consists almost exclusively of models with limited acting experience, but the name of the game here is naked flesh, and the pic keeps its promise with a bountiful supply of bodacious bodies.
Acquiring a sheen lacking when the actors are clothed, Howard Cheung's stereoscopic photography of intimate activity shows the spectacle in simple, effective wide shots and avoids disorienting closeups that helped kill off the first wave of 3D skin pics in the '70s. Other technical elements are OK.
Camera (color, HD, 3D), Howard Leung; editor, Cheng Wai Lun; music, Victor Tse; art director, Tony Yu; costume designer, Rennie Tse; sound (stereo), Ken Wong, Ip Siu-kei; 3D director, Henry Chung; visual effects, Legendtoonland; associate producer, Allen Chan; assistant directors, Amen Liu, Brenda Wong. Reviewed at Palace Nova Eastend Cinema, Adelaide, Sept. 20, 2012. Running time: 119 MIN.
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