We, as Chinese, still have our own values

"If you ask sex-related questions to your parents, they probably will think you are a bad or strange kid, or, probably they even do not have enough sex education to explain anyway," says Xu. But now the once highly provocative idea of one-night stands, a frequent plot twist in the TV show, is no longer as shocking.

In China's large cities, new nightclubs and bars cater to singles and serve as popular pick-up spots. Suzie Wong, a bar named after a famous party girl from 1930s Shanghai, is one such trendy nightspot in central Beijing. The bar's atmosphere created by dim lights and big Ming Dynasty beds encourages women's indulgence of wine, music, and pleasure.

In addition, women will often have conversations comparing their own lives to those of the fictional women from Sex and the City. "I believe all girls do that, and not just for this series," Xu says. "Most people are trying to find themselves in someone else, in the movies, in the real world."

She admits that it isn't only the glamorous aspects of the TV show that speak to her. "Single, sexy, successful, mid-age ladies searching for real love, it's not easy, but we keep looking and keep our heads up. There are sad moments, but we still like to keep our hopes."

Newspapers and fashion magazines in China are now touting the latest fashions from the Sex and the City film. But some wonder: "Is it a realistic depiction of life in New York?"

"It can be very reflective of Manhattan as it is, but it really is just a pocket of the city, a specific group of people in a specific neighborhood. It isn't like this everywhere and for everyone," says Regina Schrijvers van Zenden, who lived in New York and now splits her time between Beijing and the United States.

Not everyone, however, see the lives of the Sex and the City characters as models for their own lives.

"I like the show, but I think it'll be hard for Chinese people to accept the characters' lifestyles, with so many boyfriends and one-night stands," says Mercy Sun, a former Beijing magazine editor and now a public relations agent.

"We have to admit that today's Chinese women are totally different from the past. They are smart, confident and successful. But the country's history still has its strong legacy," says Liu Jianhong, a 33-year-old married woman who runs a gallery in Beijing's 798 art district. "For me, I have my job, but I am also willing to put energy into my family, which is more important for me."

She enjoys watching the show, but adds, "We, as Chinese, still have our own values."