reader Posted May 27, 2017 Posted May 27, 2017 From South China Morning Post Heeseon Xu and Jesson Liu have a dream – that one day they will own property in Thailand. The southeast Asian nation has made its name globally among investors and those seeking a second home thanks to its spicy food, ancient temples and tropical islands, but what attracts Xu and Liu is something else. Acceptance. The couple from Chongqing ( 重慶 ), southwest China, are gay. Isolated in their hometown, they have become frequent visitors to the Land of Smiles, where they can show their attachment in public, hang out with friends and enjoy a beer at gay-friendly bars. “We are saving money to buy a flat,” said Liu, a 42-year-old English teacher. “Ideally, it would be a one-bedroom apartment and we hope to settle down in Pattaya.” Members of China’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community seeking overseas property are contributing to Beijing’s headache as it tries to shore up its economy and stem the amount of money leaving its shores. And, like the many middle-class Chinese investing abroad due to fears over the weakening of the yuan, many LGBT property buyers find themselves drawn to a land where property is relatively cheap – Thailand. “Right now, about one-third of my clients are gay people from mainland China,” said Yin Jie, a real estate agent in Bangkok. Yin said many Chinese gays – already frequent travellers to Thailand – were seeking a vacation home, while others were preparing for their retirement. “This is an emerging trend among Chinese gay communities,” said Xin Ying, director of the civil group Beijing LGBT Centre, whose friends have bought property in Thailand. While Thai society might be less accepting of its own LGBT communities, the country tends to welcome gay foreigners who give its economy a boost. Bangkok in particular is seen as a gay-friendly tourist destination and the Songkran Festival – the Thai New Year festival in which people soak each other with water – is a highlight on the gay calendar . http://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/2095807/eat-play-love-why-chinas-gays-see-thailand-land-smiles-and-second Vessey 1 Quote
steveboy Posted May 27, 2017 Posted May 27, 2017 The Chinese should be sufficiently smart to realize the benefits of the pink dollar, and they have plenty of land to create a pink friendly environment in one of their extensive cities if not throughout their whole country. After all, there is the tradition of the Ming Dynasty, accepting of homosexual "friendships". Imagine a model town on the coast of the China Sea, with a vibrant gay scene, maybe linked by high speed rail to Hong Kong as their connection to the outside world. Maybe a dozen gogo bars, twenty gay saunas with attached accommodation a la Babylon holding weekly events, other tens of hotels for other visitors, and three or four mandatory nude beeches where periodic festivals are held to elect beauty princes. The whole town could be made nudity-optional everywhere, and a unique and safe monetary system could exist that allows to make payments validated by fingerprints or iris recognition, so that people don't need to carry anything with them. Tourists could walk nude through shaded grassy walkways from their hotel to the beaches and other gay establishments, food courts, and plenty of nice forests with discrete hidden spots. Quote
Alexx Posted May 28, 2017 Posted May 28, 2017 Well, steveboy, one can always hope and dream. Who knows, we might even see such a Gay Paradise on Chinese soil... Quote
kokopelli Posted May 28, 2017 Posted May 28, 2017 steveboy you do have a vivid imagination or was that a dream you just awoken from ? Quote
steveboy Posted May 28, 2017 Posted May 28, 2017 Well, steveboy, one can always hope and dream. Who knows, we might even see such a Gay Paradise on Chinese soil... steveboy you do have a vivid imagination or was that a dream you just awoken from ? I have to admit that I let my imagination run free sometimes. But... doesn't progress start with conception? Artistic monuments like the Vatican, the Taj Mahal, Disney World started with designers seeing them in their minds before they became reality. Tens of professionals take on the design of amusement parks to provide the best for the enjoyment of the public. So why not design a place that provides the best to people willing to travel and enjoy their gay nature to the fullest? Why have the pleasures of the flesh be contaminated with accessory environments like formal city life, transportation, tons of unattractive people, pollution, and be spread out over a vast metropolitan area making them difficult to find and coordinate their visits? There should be some gay billionaire willing to build a model gay resort in some country that is friendly to gays... Quote
reader Posted May 28, 2017 Author Posted May 28, 2017 What in the world are you smoking--or ingesting--Stevie? You're posting stream-of-consciousness gibberish. vinapu, kokopelli and PeterRS 3 Quote
PeterRS Posted May 28, 2017 Posted May 28, 2017 What in the world are you smoking--or ingesting--Stevie? I wonder how many would even think of Disney World as being on anywhere near the same artistic level as The Vatican and the Taj Mahal! reader 1 Quote
kokopelli Posted May 28, 2017 Posted May 28, 2017 Peter, sadly to say, but most people in the world, or at least USA, haven't the slightest idea of the Taj or the Vatican, but all are aware of Dizzey Land reader and vinapu 2 Quote
steveboy Posted May 28, 2017 Posted May 28, 2017 What in the world are you smoking--or ingesting--Stevie? You're posting stream-of-consciousness gibberish. I am so pleased! Years ago I had to drink plenty of beer in bars and clubs and get high to overcome my shyness and fear. Today I can write tons of conscious gibberish without one drop of alcohol or drugs. And in places where others are desperate for poppers I function well without them. I wonder how many would even think of Disney World as being on anywhere near the same artistic level as The Vatican and the Taj Mahal! Isn't it all in the eye of the beholder? I made a mental association of the model gay city with Babylon sauna, and, if you have ever been in this sauna you will find that it is built with much artistic sense. And the gay city could come closer to the Vatican if it has plenty of pictures of nude angels (or mortal boys) like Michelangelo's frescoes in the Sistine chapel. Quote
a447a Posted May 28, 2017 Posted May 28, 2017 Steve, we're you getting some inspiration from Cap D'agde? Quote
PeterRS Posted May 28, 2017 Posted May 28, 2017 the gay city could come closer to the Vatican if it has plenty of pictures of nude angels (or mortal boys) like Michelangelo's frescoes in the Sistine chapel. In the 3 visits I have made to the Sistine Chapel, I did not notice full nudity. After his death Michelangelos full nude figures were discretely covered up with fig leaves or casual loincloths. I think only some of the tiny cherubs remain in their original state. Or perhaps I was not looking closely enough! Quote
Vessey Posted May 28, 2017 Posted May 28, 2017 The Chinese should be sufficiently smart to realize the benefits of the pink dollar, and they have plenty of land to create a pink friendly environment in one of their extensive cities if not throughout their whole country. After all, there is the tradition of the Ming Dynasty, accepting of homosexual "friendships". Imagine a model town on the coast of the China Sea, with a vibrant gay scene, maybe linked by high speed rail to Hong Kong as their connection to the outside world. Maybe a dozen gogo bars, twenty gay saunas with attached accommodation a la Babylon holding weekly events, other tens of hotels for other visitors, and three or four mandatory nude beeches where periodic festivals are held to elect beauty princes. The whole town could be made nudity-optional everywhere, and a unique and safe monetary system could exist that allows to make payments validated by fingerprints or iris recognition, so that people don't need to carry anything with them. Tourists could walk nude through shaded grassy walkways from their hotel to the beaches and other gay establishments, food courts, and plenty of nice forests with discrete hidden spots. I feel a 'Fantasy Island' moment coming on - a large island capable of sustaining small settlements and services. You could have access through a 'gay passport' that included current STD/HIV tests and relaxed by-laws as to the extent of public 'affection' that could be shown. Public nudity could be optional for us oldies, but it could also be a requirement for anyone under the age of 30 ? Damn, now I am lost in fantasies as I munch my way through my cornflakes this sunny Sunday morning. Quote
sglad Posted May 28, 2017 Posted May 28, 2017 In the 3 visits I have made to the Sistine Chapel, I did not notice full nudity. After his death Michelangelos full nude figures were discretely covered up with fig leaves or casual loincloths. I think only some of the tiny cherubs remain in their original state. Or perhaps I was not looking closely enough! Discreetly. The Sixteenth Chapel look. He was so adorable in this and that look at the end when he realised he had been busted. Awwww... David Letterman is such a mean Grampa. Quote
steveboy Posted May 28, 2017 Posted May 28, 2017 Steve, we're you getting some inspiration from Cap D'agde? What a good idea! To promote "gay naturalism"... Maybe my inspiration comes from many visits I did years ago to the place "hippy hollow" on Lake Travis in Austin, a clothing-optional place in Texas with a beach and nearby forest to socialize, which is precisely now on Memorial day holiday celebrating the "splash day" event. Quote
steveboy Posted May 28, 2017 Posted May 28, 2017 In the 3 visits I have made to the Sistine Chapel, I did not notice full nudity. After his death Michelangelos full nude figures were discretely covered up with fig leaves or casual loincloths. I think only some of the tiny cherubs remain in their original state. Or perhaps I was not looking closely enough! Maybe they took off the fig leaves to make the following photo of the Sistine chapel: I agree that this is DISGUSTING. An uncle full of muscles but with a mini-penis. No wonder you could not see it! I know that small cocks is in the tradition of the ancient Greek, maybe this is why they died out. But in my "gay naturalist place" all the photos of the boys will be taken with their cocks big and hard. kokopelli 1 Quote
steveboy Posted May 28, 2017 Posted May 28, 2017 I feel a 'Fantasy Island' moment coming on - a large island capable of sustaining small settlements and services. You could have access through a 'gay passport' that included current STD/HIV tests and relaxed by-laws as to the extent of public 'affection' that could be shown. Public nudity could be optional for us oldies, but it could also be a requirement for anyone under the age of 30 ? Damn, now I am lost in fantasies as I munch my way through my cornflakes this sunny Sunday morning. Brilliant idea! A "Fantasy Island" for homosexual inhabitants and visitors (let's extend this to lesbians too). Like the Vatican was made into an independent state, this island could also have autonomy, with its own rules and regulations... Quote
a447a Posted May 28, 2017 Posted May 28, 2017 No! No! Give the lesbians their own Island. OMG! I feel ill. I know nothing about the gay scene in China. But I'll bet that even though it's not all out in the open and there aren't any naturist places as far as I know, the local gay guys know exactly where to go to have fun. They would have their own places where they can get naked together and have get down and durty. I was once talking to a Pakistani guy at the airport as we were waiting to board. He told me that even though he lives in a Muslim country, he and his mates still have lots of fun. But the drinking and sex parties take place in people's homes. But I love the idea of a gay China resort. Quote
kokopelli Posted May 28, 2017 Posted May 28, 2017 Maybe they took off the fig leaves to make the following photo of the Sistine chapel: I agree that this is DISGUSTING. An uncle full of muscles but with a mini-penis. No wonder you could not see it! The actual height of Adam in that fresco is about 2.8 m or 9 ft; when Michaelangelo was painting Adam he was within arms reach of his penis so it probably looked rather large to him. Same as with his sculpture of David. Or maybe his model had a small one? Quote
kokopelli Posted May 28, 2017 Posted May 28, 2017 No! No! Give the lesbians their own Island. The lesbians already have their own island, it is named Lesbos in the Aegean Sea. ChristianPFC and Alexx 2 Quote
Alexx Posted May 28, 2017 Posted May 28, 2017 What's your beef with lesbians? If you as a gay man cannot show some tolerance towards them, how can you expect any from people for whom let's say anal sex is gross? kokopelli 1 Quote
abidismaili Posted May 28, 2017 Posted May 28, 2017 I thought foreigners can not own property in Thailand. That the title holder to the land, house must always be a Thai citizen. Quote
steveboy Posted May 28, 2017 Posted May 28, 2017 No! No! Give the lesbians their own Island. OMG! I feel ill. LOL !!! Quote
Alexx Posted May 29, 2017 Posted May 29, 2017 I thought foreigners can not own property in Thailand. That the title holder to the land, house must always be a Thai citizen. Foreigners cannot own land in Thailand, but they can own condos, as long as total foreign ownership stays below 50% and some other conditions (e.g. source of funds) are met. Quote
a447a Posted May 29, 2017 Posted May 29, 2017 Alexx, koko, chill! It was tongue in cheek, so to speak. (Damn it! I should have added "Lol".) Alexx 1 Quote