In a newly published book, editor-in-chief Jacky Jin describes how he pushes the boundary ever so gently and elbows into more room for content maneuvering. He pulled a column that directly talked about sexual adventures and added content from a call-in radio show.

His conclusion: Sex, which is so crucial to a men's magazine, has to be peddled softly and indirectly.

"Regulators should be more tolerant," noted Zhang, "The market has a need for such information." He admits that the social atmosphere is getting more "open-minded". "A magazine like FHM would not be able to exist 10 years ago."

Its audacity has certainly separated itself from the traditional titles that are "mannered" on their choice of subject matter. But industry observers have noticed a "facelift" in Esquire as they started to put younger celebrities on their cover and launch features on those born in the 1970s."

However, this niche attracts a different band of advertisers, such as IT products and consumer gadgets. Jacky Jin, FHM's chief editor, sees it another way.

"In China, a men's magazine commands roughly the same rate for advertising space as a women's title. But in the West, ads in men's titles are far more expensive because men have great purchasing power and their profile as consumers is easier to delineate."

Except for GQ, which is still contemplating the China market, most major men's magazines in the West have already arrived through licensing agreements with local partners. However, as one editor reveals, due to the uniqueness of the market, they can use only a very small portion of the content from the original edition.

The Western titles are actually known mostly by their Chinese names, which often have little to do with the original name and less to do with their content. Esquire is Trends Men, Maxim turns to Poise and FHM appears as Men's Garments.

While these titles have to balance their global image and local needs, domestic titles rushed in to provide customized service. The cleverly titled Mangazine (Name Brands in Chinese) vows to capture the high end of this market.

"Actually our Chinese title is a bit misleading," explains He Qun, Mangazine features editor. "We target the crme de la creme. They are no longer satisfied with information about luxury products. They want relaxation mixed with depth."

Launched four years ago by Nanfang Media Group, Mangazine sells for 28 yuan ($3.6) a copy. "We may not have the highest circulation but we get readers of high value," added He. "Mangazine rubs off some of the sophistication from its sister publications such as Nanfang Weekend."

Another Guangzhou-based domestic title, Life, aims even higher. It is as thick as a coffee-table book and sells for 50 yuan. "They carry nothing but absolutely the most upscale brands for advertisement," Ma Xuefen observes.

During a recent cold spell, a young man on a Beijing construction site quickly took off his clothes and strategically positioned cameras started to snap pictures. Although passers-by were sheltered from seeing him totally nude, construction workers on the scaffolds above kept a watchful eye.

It was FHM shooting a graphic essay on urban voyeurism and the nude model was a new arrival in the editing room. The scene was more comic than erotic, and the whole team had fun with it.

In a sense, this scene is symbolic of the men's magazine market in China a little naughty, a little intrepid, yet at the same time somewhat timid while being monitored.

More importantly, the weather is warming up and flashing would be less likely to induce a cold.

(China Daily 04/04/2007 page18)