World History Atlas

Author: Liu Dalin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-09-01
Features: As a book on research-based cultural history, its content is academic, but it is accompanied by a large number of historically valuable images, making it easy and enjoyable to read. This format is also very popular among readers. Human sexuality has two attributes: one is its naturalness, which is an innate instinct; the other is its sociality, which is acquired through cultural conditioning. Therefore, it can be said that human sexuality = instinct + culture. China has a 5,000-year history of civilization, and its sexual culture over the past 5,000 years has become somewhat distant and unfamiliar. As for the sexual culture of the world, people find it even harder to understand, sometimes even considering it an exotic tale. Yes, different countries and ethnic groups have their own unique characteristics in culture (and of course, in sexual culture as well). It is precisely these distinctive cultures that form a colorful and diverse garden of human culture. However, if we peel away the layers and grasp its essence, we can see that the fundamental principles of human sexual culture are the same. They all follow a developmental process from openness to restraint, and then from restraint back to openness. In terms of its nature, human sexuality is the same in terms of body structure and physiological functions; in terms of its sociality, the influence of society on individuals and the laws of social development are also the same. The natural aspect of human sexuality demands freedom and openness, but if taken to excess, it becomes sexual indulgence. The social aspect of human sexuality requires management and control, but if this management and control are unreasonable, it can lead to restraint. Sexual indulgence and sexual restraint are the two extremes of human sexual development, and the development of human sexual civilization lies in finding a proper balance between these two poles. Sexual indulgence was a major reason for the fall of ancient Rome.