The Aporia · Ancient roots: China pioneering sex therapist warns of rise of ‘relationship blind’ phenomenon

Ancient roots: China pioneering sex therapist warns of rise of ‘relationship blind’ phenomenon

Read the original at South China Morning Post ↗

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Zhang, Z. (2026, September 7). Ancient roots: China pioneering sex therapist warns of rise of ‘relationship blind’ phenomenon. South China Morning Post. https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/gender-diversity/article/3366571/ancient-roots-china-pioneering-sex-therapist-warns-rise-relationship-blind-phenomenon?utm_source=rss_feed

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Quick Summary

Tong Songzhen, a sex therapist from Taiwan who works in China, notes that most of her clients are between 30 and 50 years old, with men making up about 80% of her clientele. Many of these clients struggle with issues related to intimacy and relationships, which Tong believes are often caused by gaps in education and communication. She has worked with a variety of clients, including PhD holders who lacked basic sexual knowledge and an 80-year-old man seeking to rekindle physical intimacy after a stroke. According to Tong, sex therapy goes beyond just addressing physical issues, encompassing emotional, psychological, and social aspects as well.

Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-07, using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the same event (that is the story summary below).

AI analysis runs on qwen2.5:14b, locally

Story summary

Tong Songzhen, a pioneering sex therapist from Taiwan, has been observing a growing phenomenon in China where people are struggling with intimacy and relationships due to gaps in education and communication. Tong, who has practices in Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen, notes that most of her clients are between the ages of 30 and 50, with 80% being men. While male clients often seek help for sexual dysfunction, women typically experience greater insecurity in intimate relationships. One notable case is a client whose single father advised her to "wear more clothes" after she faced school sexual harassment, indicating a lack of awareness about healthy communication and boundaries. Tong has also encountered two PhD holders who lacked basic knowledge about sex and believed that sharing a bed could lead to pregnancy. This phenomenon, which Tong calls being "relationship blind," is a result of inadequate education and communication skills in China's young adults.

Written for “China's Relationship Blind Phenomenon” on 2026-10-22, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

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How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted

sentences that state something as happening or true

Uncertain

10%

1 of 10 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")

Leaning

not political

takes no side on a contested political question

Publisher signals

64/100

South China Morning Post's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.

Outlets on this story

Health

Same framing elsewhere

articles that frame the event the way this one does

Analyzed 2026-09-07 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability

Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

South China Morning Post · 2844 article(s) · 6 correction(s) detected

Running correction rate · 6 correction(s)

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Who wrote this

Zoey Zhang

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🔮 Her clientele has included two PhD holders who lacked fundamental sexual knowledge and mistakenly believed that pregnancy could result merely from sharing a bed.

2026-09-07 · assertive framing · Ancient roots: China pioneering sex therapist warns of rise of ‘relationship blind’ phenomenon

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Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

All 25 articles by Zoey Zhang →

Topics

Beijing China Shanghai Shu-Te University Taiwan

Subjects

China GPE · 2× Tong PERSON · 2× Beijing GPE · 1× SCMP ORG · 1× Shanghai GPE · 1× Shenzhen GPE · 1× Shu-Te University ORG · 1× Taiwan GPE · 1× Tong Songzhen PERSON · 1×

Narrative

After years of assisting clients in navigating issues of intimacy and relationships, one of China’s pioneering sex therapists has observed how gaps in education and communication shape individuals’ most private struggles.

framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-07

🔮 Her clientele has included two PhD holders who lacked fundamental sexual knowledge and mistakenly believed that pregnancy could result merely from sharing a bed.

2026-09-07 · South China Morning Post

Ancient roots: China pioneering sex therapist warns of rise of ‘relationship blind’ phenomenon · assertive framing

Claims (10 extracted, 1 hedged)

Ancient roots: China pioneering sex therapist warns of rise of ‘relationship blind’ phenomenon asserted

therapist → warn → phenomenon

Tong recalls a client whose single father advised her to ‘wear more clothes’ after she faced school sexual harassment Behind many sexual difficulties lie questions that extend far beyond the confines of the bedroom. asserted

that → recall → bedroom

gaps → assist → struggles

Originally from Taiwan, Tong Songzhen began her career as a nurse before attaining a doctorate in sexology from Shu-Te University. asserted

Songzhen → begin → University

Since 2016, she has established sex therapy practices in Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen. asserted

she → establish → Beijing

Tong shared with the SCMP that most of her clients are between the ages of 30 and 50, with men comprising about 80 per cent of her clientele. asserted

men → share → clientele

While male clients often seek help for sexual dysfunction, women typically experience greater insecurity in intimate relationships. asserted

women → seek → relationships

Her clientele has included two PhD holders who lacked fundamental sexual knowledge and mistakenly believed that pregnancy could result merely from sharing a bed. uncertain

pregnancy → include → bed

She also worked with an 80-year-old man who, after enduring the effects of a stroke for two decades, sought to rekindle physical intimacy with his partner. asserted

who → work → partner

It encompasses an entire system that involves the body, psychology, and social relationships,” she emphasised. asserted

she → encompass → body