During Shanghai’s Golden Age from the mid 1800s until the Communists took over in 1949, the city had a well-earned reputation for vice. Its very name was a synonym for dodgy dealings; if you were “shanghaied”, you were kidnapped and forced to serve as a sailor on long voyages. The city was rife with drug dens, brothels and gambling houses, and the city grew rich on the proceeds of the opium trade. Shanghai’s more graceful nicknames included the Paris of the East, but a more accurate moniker was the fruitier Whore of the Orient. But is this still the case, or has Shanghai cleaned up its act? I decided to investigate.

Anyone who visits the city or lives here for any length of time will attest to the plethora of opportunities for vice. Whether you’re a young English teacher fresh off the plane, or an older expat with a wife and kids, you’re fair game. A guy walking alone on the Bund or Nanjing Dong Lu at night will more than likely be approached by girls offering services. Antoine, a French consultant, has experienced this first hand on a number of occasions. “The first time I was propositioned on the street I was shocked, despite knowing that Shanghai is famous for prostitution. I’ve also heard of guys who have had prostitutes knock on their hotel room door. Presumably the receptionist or manager alerted them to the presence of a lone laowai.”

The KTV culture is well known as a vehicle for the sex trade. British expat Sarah has missed out on countless “work dinners” because she knew they would end in the KTV with colleagues making fools of themselves. “The last thing I want to do is watch my married co-workers being led off by KTV girls,” she says.

Delving into Shanghai’s history throws up some interesting comparisons. Although prostitution was supposedly “wiped out” by the Communist party (yeah, right), the WHO estimates that there are four million sex workers in China today. This figure seems conservative; it’s more likely to be double or triple that. The falangmei who work in streetside “hair salons” are the most visible vice workers, and have taken the place of the “flower girls” who ruled the roost in the lilong of Old Shanghai. Some of the streets in the Old City bear names related to prostitution, including Honglangan Jie (street of the red banisters) and Hongzhuang Nong (Red Hamlet lane). There was even a Monai Nong, which means “breast pinch lane. Working girls advertised their services on signs pinned at the lane entrance, and the arrival of a new prostitute was greeted by firecrackers.

Modern Shanghai’s vice world isn’t limited to local girls. Go into any high-class bar and you’ll see Russian and Eastern European girls plying their trade with rich businessmen. The general impression is that anything can be had for a price, and corruption is rife. “Shanghai is definitely the sleaziest city I’ve ever lived in,” says Rob, an English teacher. “The assumption is that because I’m a guy, I will automatically be interested in paying for sex.”

So it seems that the Whore of the Orient lives on. However, other Chinese cities seem to be catching up, and one may already have stolen Shanghai’s crown as the queen of sleaze. The factory town of Dongguan in Guangdong Province was recently the subject of an undercover investigation into the sex trade. Now unofficially dubbed as China’s sex capital, Dongguan is just as well known for its multi-floor “saunas” as for its factories and warehouses. But thanks to Shanghai’s history as a city of sin, it will always have a place in the dubious pantheon of dodge. Bad reputations have a habit of living on. 

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