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History of Hong Kong
sex industry
According to Zi Teng, an organization working for the legal rights and benefits of sex workers, there were approximately 18,000 Hong Kong women working in the sex industry in the 1970s. In 1984, they numbered nearly 40,000, but since then the number has steadily declined to 20,000.
After colonizing Hong Kong, the British transformed the small fishing village into a commercial city. Commerce brought merchant ships packed with foreign sailors to Hong Kong from all over the world.
Chinese men flocked to the city in search of economic opportunity. According to Zi Teng, the changing demographics created a heavy demand for sex services.
In the early days of colonization, Chinese women accounted for a large proportion of the sex industry. Portuguese women were also common.
On average, a “large house” would have about 60 sex workers, while a “small house” would have about 30.
In his book Xiangjiang Feng Yue Shi, historian Wu Hao reported that when a man desired to hire a sex worker, he would go to special restaurants purveying sex services. The customer had to fill in a form called a “flower paper” on which he had to leave his surname and the name of the sex worker he wanted.
After that, waiters would give the flower paper to the sex worker, who could either accept or refuse the customer.
The government did not pay much attention to the situation until 1845.
There were approximately 120 sex workers in Hong Kong at that time. The governor believed that they spread venereal diseases, so he imposed a tax on the sex industry. Each sex worker had to pay $1.50 per month, while each brothel had to pay $5. The taxes were collected by the police.
The money collected was used to build and maintain a hospital specializing in venereal diseases. It offered sex workers and their clients free medical services.
However, when it was discovered that nearly two-thirds of the amount collected did go to the hospital, many Hong Kong citizens opposed the tax collection.
In 1847, the British government investigated the situation and subsequently prohibited the Hong Kong government from charging the tax.
The sex industry thrived again after the banning of the tax. Local sex workers gathered around Sheung Wan, while foreign sex workers gathered in Central.
In 1857, venereal diseases presented a serious risk to public health, and thus prostitution became a legal issue. The government passed an ordinance requiring all infected persons to see doctors.
Sex workers were required to apply for a license so as to prove that they had undergone the medical check and were not infected with venereal disease.
Subsequently, sex workers in Hong Kong were divided into licensed and non-licensed groups. The latter did not need to pay tax and were therefore cheaper. However, they were more disease-prone because they did not undergo regular medical examinations.
In the 1860s, the government learned that many sex workers were forced to enter the business. They were kidnapped from the Mainland at the age of 6 or 7 and brought to Hong Kong.
In light of this, then-Governor Richard MacDonell made the punishment for kidnapping more severe. Moreover, anyone who reported a kidnapping case or assisted in the investigation was rewarded $20 if the suspect was caught and charged.
In 1897, the British colonial boundary was extended to encompass the New Territories. The sex industry then spread to Kowloon, centering on Temple Street.
By 1932, many developed countries had adopted policies to abolish the sex industry, and Hong Kong followed.
All Hong Kong brothels serving European and Japanese clients had to close by 30 June 1932, while local sex workers were given 3 years to discontinue their business. The last of the 43 brothels closed in June 1935.
Although the brothels were all closed, the demand still existed, according to Xiangjiang Feng Yue Shi.
Prostitution went underground. Sex workers would put a pair of lightbulbs in front of their doors for identification.
Call-girl services soon emerged. Telephone listings of tourist companies providing call-girl services were placed in hotels. A prospective client only needed to book a room and contact such a company, and a sex worker would meet the client in the hotel room.
In 1941, the Japanese invaded Hong Kong. The Japanese military was concerned about the health of their soldiers and therefore designated an area as a “red-light district” in Wan Chai to serve them. The houses there were controlled and the medical conditions were monitored.
After the Japanese surrendered in 1945, the red-light district vanished because it remained illegal under the British colonial law.
