ABSTRACT
It is popularly accepted in Hong Kong that the ideal pattern of heterosexual intimacy must consist of the three elements of love, marriage and sex, Moral judgements regarding sexual behaviour are always made in relation to whether the partners are engaged, in a life-long, heterosexual and monogamous marriage. The claim that such an ideal pattern is supported by the Christian religions or by the Chinese traditions is very often made. Such claims are assessed by reviewing Biblical and early church teachings as well as Chinese traditional literature. It was found within the Judeo-Christian tradition that standards do change over time and that there is actually no ground for taking the existing marriage pattern as a God-given prescription. A review of the two major Chinese traditions, Confucianism and Taoism, is also performed. A patriarchism similar to that found within the Judeo-Christian tradition is identified. It is however observed that the Chinese have a rather different language of sexuality. The idea of qing as the traditional Chinese ideal of heterosexual relationships is studied in contrast to the western idea of love. Finally, the import of the Western ideas of love and sex is considered within the context of socio-cultural development and the related political dimension.
