An ugly incident last week at a sex culture expo in Guangzhou has triggered a debate over traditional attitudes about the once-taboo subject, the Chutian Metropolis Daily reported on Friday.

Since the November 7 confrontation, in which a middle-aged woman threw a bag of feces over the controversial sexologist Peng Xiaohui, the majority of Internet users involved in the discussion have offered support to the victim.

In response, Peng Xiaohui, a sexology professor with Central China Normal University, said he intends to continue with his research and to further promote sexual awareness. For decades, Peng has been one of the most active sexologists in China, with views regarded as bold and provocative.

At Peng's lecture, the middle-aged assailant cried out "You are a professor with no morality." Several other people carried signs reading "Stop poisoning Chinese people's minds!" and "You did a great job instigating many teenagers to become homosexual."

The protesters were soon asked to leave by the security staff.

After the incident, one of Peng's students said: "There's no inappropriate or obscene content in the class. It's all scientific knowledge about sexology. Any adult could learn from it."

Many Internet commentators, even those who support Peng's work, still believe it is inappropriate to talk about sex in public.

Although Chinese people have been considered conservative when it comes to sex, values have shifted greatly in recent years. Psychosexual therapist Ma Li said Chinese people now have a more active attitude to sex.

Sex culture expos, which include lectures, sex equipment displays, lingerie shows and booths sponsored by adult entertainment companies, have became an avenue for people in China to explore this once-unspeakable world.

Not everyone has taken to the expos. At an exhibition in Xi'an this year, protesters grabbed the microphone to urge a boycott the event, saying "it's corrupting public morality."