Ancient Chinese literature on sexual health is rich and diverse. By using a modern scientific perspective to distinguish truth from falsehood and taking the scientific aspects, it can benefit both couples and families and promote longevity. The following summarizes the 8 key points or steps of ancient sexual practices:
1. Calmness is essential, eliminate anxiety. Sexual pleasure relies on a peaceful and tranquil mind, free from fear, panic, and restlessness. This can be considered the "psychological preparation" phase of sexual activity.
2. Pleasure through foreplay, attaining spiritual harmony. Ancient people recognized the importance of foreplay as a source of pleasure, an indispensable part of sexual activity that can arouse desire and enhance sexual drive.
3. Prioritize the well-being of the kidneys and the heart, avoiding excessive desire. Neither party should engage in sexual activity if they are not in a good state. Men should not force themselves or pressure women. Sexual activity should be initiated by the physiological desires first, and then followed by the psychological impulses. This is known as prioritizing the well-being of the kidneys and the heart.
4. Achieve optimal arousal for both partners. This indicates that both men and women should reach their best physical condition for sexual activity. For men, it means having a fully erect penis (indicating liver energy), a thick and heated penis (indicating heart energy), and a lasting and hard erection (indicating kidney energy). For women, it includes having a rosy complexion, moist lips, and eyebrows (indicating heart energy), watery and affectionate eyes (indicating liver energy), a slight sweat on the nose while keeping her head down and silent (indicating lung energy), leaning against the male partner and being physically close (indicating spleen energy), and having lubrication and moistness in the vagina (indicating kidney energy). "Five desires" refers to the five methods that men can use to stimulate women's sexual desire: slow exhalation and kissing to raise the facial temperature, gentle and tight hugs, mutual tongue sucking to increase saliva and smoothness in the mouth, gentle stroking of sensitive areas, and tightly embracing and gently rocking to make the woman feel dry in the throat and swallow saliva.
5. Slow and gentle, emphasizing harmony. The ideal state and requirement for sexual activity, as defined by ancient people, is to be calm, rhythmic, and gentle without haste or violence, and to last for a long time.
6. Observe the eight movements and listen to the five sounds. Ancient Chinese emphasized that both partners should experience satisfaction in sexual activity. When reaching climax, women may exhibit eight types of physical movements and make five different moaning sounds, which can be observed by their lover.
7. Focus on techniques, promoting health and well-being. Ancient sexual practices included a variety of sexual positions, which were believed to have therapeutic effects on certain ailments. However, it should be viewed more as an art form.
8. Withdrawing while still strong, promoting vitality. After sexual activity, men should withdraw while their genitals are still erect, rather than becoming completely flaccid. This is the main principle of sexual health preservation emphasized by ancient Chinese.
