Taiwan, are you building a new sex-themed park, or just teasing us?
Rumor has it, at least online, that there are plans to develop an adult entertainment attraction in the Southwest Coast National Scenic Area. Yet once the details were posted on the region's official website and interest started to build, the page was quickly taken down.
Chen Jung-fong, director of the scenic area administration, confirmed that the proposal is real, but insists that for now it is nothing more than a concept.
Partner links: booking through them supports the blog at no extra cost to you.
"The ideal plan would be to bring the proposal to life within this year, if we can win the support of the local government," Chen said.
Details of the plan, shared by a user on Taiwan's popular online forum PTT, described a tourist route called the "Taiwan Romantic Boulevard," featuring four zones spread across three counties.
'Silk Road of Love'
Each stage has a different theme: a "dating paradise," a "scenic spot for wedding gowns," a "silk road of love," and the proposed 10,000-square-meter "sex-themed park."
The sex-themed park, or "Garden of Eden" as it is called in the proposal, would be modeled after other erotic parks around the world, including Loveland on Jeju in South Korea and Vigeland Park in Oslo, Norway.
Billed as educational, the park would serve as the final stop on a four-stage journey of love. It would be divided into different sections covering topics such as sex positions, unconventional sex lives, and sex toys.
Colombia's "love motels": step inside themed rooms you can book by the hour
"The dating paradise is perfect for those who are more than friends but haven't officially become a couple yet," the proposal reads.
Chen said the proposal was not supposed to go public before final approval, but insisted that, if carried out, it would help breathe new life into a neglected area.
"Taiwan's southwest coast has been an important salt farm since the Qing dynasty," he says. "It has a unique history, culture, and ecological value. Even so, decades after it was declared a national scenic area, it still hasn't drawn much attention from tourists. So we started wondering whether it might be time to try a new way of thinking.
"The white, powdery salt mounds and the salt farm have always given off a romantic feeling for visitors who come to the area," Chen said. "That's why we came up with the idea of becoming Taiwan's first dating and wedding themed park."
'Way over the line'
The proposal has sparked heated debate online.
"This is the first time I've ever found a government proposal interesting," one online commenter said, according to Taiwan's Now News.
Another wrote: "We're outdoing Japan. The pride of Taiwan."
"This is way over the line," wrote yet another. "And soon the government will start promoting sex tourism."
Chang Huang-cheng, deputy commissioner of Yunlin County, the proposed home for the sex park, said the idea might not sit well with locals who hold traditional views.
Chen said he had received mostly supportive comments, but he welcomed differing opinions.
A guide to the world's sex museums
"Sex has always been taboo in Chinese society," he added. "But it's a part of our lives and a very natural thing, so why can't we talk about it openly and generously?"
Aside from the sex park, the rest of the proposal makes use of existing landmarks.
"We plan to add around 100 attractions and installations at each stage to enrich the experience," Chen said.
The proposed route begins at a scenic six-story salt mound in Cigu district. It then leads to Beimen, a place known for its thriving pre-wedding photography industry, where "churches" and dozens of other romantic landmarks have been built for the purpose.
The third destination is Budai, a fishing town in Chiayi. According to the proposal, it is the right place to make your vows before heading off to the sex-themed park.
