Ancient paintings of fornicating Chinese couples and phalluses made of stone are among items that Dutch art collector Ferdinand Bertholet hopes will help China reconnect with its sexually charged past. Explicit works spanning from the Han Dynasty (206 B.C. to A.D. 220) to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) are among more than 100 pieces on display in Hong Kong, drawing surprise and giggles from some viewers unaware of China’s ancient relationship with s*x.

Bertholet, whose collection of Chinese erotic art is the world’s largest, with around 500 pieces, said such explicitness should not be considered crude or pornographic, instead representing harmony with the Taoist philosophy that thrived in China before the communists took power and later created the chaos of the Cultural Revolution. “Chinese art is so different in its expression than other erotic expressions because it has a philosophical background”, said the 61-year-old, adding that Taoism sees s*x as a path to happiness and longevity.

An employee of Sotheby's stands by an artwork titled “Meiren at Her Bath” during the preview of the exhibition “Gardens of Pleasure: s*x in Ancient China” in Hong Kong on April 15, 2014. Explicit works of Chinese erotic art went on display, as Dutch collector Ferdinand Bertholet aims to bring the lost art of eroticism back to the country. (Photo by Philippe Lopez/AFP Photo)

Erotic paintings are displayed at the preview of an exhibition entitled “Gardens of Pleasure: s*x in Ancient China”, at Sotheby's Hong Kong Gallery in Hong Kong April 15, 2014. More than 100 pieces with objects dating from China's Han Dynasty to Qing Dynasty are shown from the Ferdinand Bertholet Collection. (Photo by Bobby Yip/Reuters)

An employee of Sotheby's displays an object part of the exhibition “Gardens of Pleasure: s*x in Ancient China” in Hong Kong on April 15, 2014. (Photo by Philippe Lopez/AFP Photo)

A visitor walks in front of erotic objects during a preview of an exhibition entitled “Gardens of Pleasure: s*x in Ancient China”, at Sotheby's Hong Kong Gallery in Hong Kong April 15, 2014. (Photo by Bobby Yip/Reuters)

A woman looks at an erotic figure during a preview of an exhibition “Gardens of Pleasure: s*x In Ancient China” presented by the Sotheby's Hong Kong Gallery in Hong Kong Tuesday, April 15, 2014. The exhibition features more than 100 pieces of ancient Chinese erotic art from the Ferdinand M. Bertholet Collection, with objects dating from the Chinese Han Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty. (Photo by Kin Cheung/AP Photo)