Prostitution as a Popular republic of China

Quickly after its accession with the capacity in 1949, the Chinese Communist party started a series of campaigns against the Prostitution in continental China, which, according to the authorities, leads to its eradication at the beginning of the Années 1960. Since the beginning of the Years 1980, with the reduction of governmental control on the company, the prostitution as a Popular republic of China is not only become again more open, but is from now on present as well in urban environment as rural. In spite of the efforts of the government, the prostitution reached a degree such as it constitutes a true industry, including a great number of people and generating considerable financial incomes. The prostitution makes moreover flash back of other societies' problems, the such organized crime, the corruption of State and MST.

In continental China, the linked activities with the prostitution are characterized by specific populations, places and tariffs. The hard-working of the sex Chinese come from very diverse social horizons. This population is primarily female, although one has noted for a few years an emergence of the male prostitution. The typical places of the Chinese prostitution are the hotels, karaoké and the beauty parlors.

While the government of the Popular republic of China (RPC) always adopted an extremely hard repressive line at the place of the organizers of the prostitution, its attitude is on the other hand much fluctuating as for the treatment of the prostitutes themselves, treating the prostitution sometimes like a crime and sometimes like simple delinquency. Since the reappearance of the prostitution in the Years 1980, the authorities reacted to the situation by initially using the legislative and legal tools existing, such as the police and legal authorities. In the second place, they were based on specific police operations, being characterized by periods of intense repression, in order to set up a climate of social order. In addition, in spite of the work of the ONG and the foreign actors, the regulation of the industry of the sex on a legal level does not find many support and echo near the public, the social welfare and the Chinese government.

Prostitution during the period Maoist

After the victory of the Chinese Communist party in 1949, the local governmental authorities were in load of the elimination of the prostitution. One month after the catch of Beijing by the Chinese Communists, the February 3rd 1949, the new municipal government directed by Ye Jianying announces a policy aiming at controlling the brothels of the city. The November 21st, all 224 establishments of Beijing were closed, 1.286 prostitutes and 434 owners of establishments and procurers were stopped in the 12 hours space by a police manpower of 2400 men approximately. This capacity of rapid intervention with deployment of drastic means constituted an exemplary demonstration on the repressive capacity of the incipient mode.

Because of the big number of social problems with which the government was confronted, and of one limitation at the same time budgets and human resources the local governments had, the majority of the cities adopted a slower and moderated policy control then of the prohibition of the brothels and prostitution. This situation in particular characterized cities like Tianjin, Shanghai and Wuhan. Typically, this resulted in the installation of an administrative system controlling the establishments of prostitution, and discouraging their owners. The combined effect of such measurements was to gradually reduce the number of brothels in each city up to the point where a closing of the remaining establishments, in the line of the model of the policy of Beijing, is possible and which a rehabilitation can begin. Programs of rehabilitation were undertaken, in particular in Shanghai, where they were implemented at large scales.

At the beginning of the Years 1960, the measures taken eliminated the visible forms from prostitution of continental China. According to the government of the Popular republic of China, the venereal diseases were almost completely eliminated from the continent, thanks to control and with the fight against the prostitution. To mark this victory, the 29 research institutes over the venereal diseases all were closed in 1964.

According to the Marxist theory, a person who sells her body is regarded as constraint, in order to provide for its needs. The eradication of the prostitution was thus praised like belonging to the major governmental measures and application of the principles of the Chinese Marxism. The prostitution thus did not exist in China as societies' problems lasting almost three decades. The recent studies however showed that the disappearance of the prostitution under the mode Maoist was far from being total. Pan Suiming, one of the principal specialists as regards prostitution in China, advances that the prostitution " non-visible" - in the form of sexual services given to the executives in exchange of certain privileges - became a component characteristic of China Maoist, in particular towards the end of the Cultural revolution.

Prostitution after 1978

The reappearance of the visible prostitution in the continental China coincided with the introduction of the Libéralisme of Deng Xiaoping into the Chinese economic policy, in 1978. According to incomplete statistics based to the measures of repression taken at the national level, the prostitution in China did not cease increasing each year since 1982. Between 1989 and 1990, 243.183 people were challenged for linked activities with the prostitution. Zhang Ping estimates moreover than these figures of police force enter only 25 to 30% of the real population touched by the prostitution. The prostitution constitutes an increasingly great part of the Chinese economy, making live a number of anybody that one estimates bordering the 10 million, generating a probable volume of 1 trillion of Yuan. Following a repression campaign in 2000, the Chinese economist Yang Fan estimates that GDP Chinese crumbled of 1%, because of a fall of consumption due to the job loss of a great number of prostitutes. Side of the request, the prostitution and its increase are related to the imbalance of the sexes, caused by the policy of birth control, which generates an overpopulation of the men.

The prostitution is often directly related to the corruption of the small civils servant. Many local civils servant think that to encourage the prostitution and to regard it as an entertaining leisure for mediums of businesses brings economic advantages, by developing the industry of the Tourisme and by producing a source of revenue tax. The police force was implied on several occasions in the exploitation of large hotels in which officiate of the prostitutes, or in businesses of backhanders related to certain activities of Prostitution. Corruption also exists in a more indirect form, the most traditional abuse consisting in using public funds at food purposes of tariffed sexual services. Pan Suiming affirms that China has a very specific type of prostitution, implying at the same time individuals using their capacity and their authority within the government in order to obtain sexual services, and those which employ the sex and the prostitution to obtain privileges.

Prostitution with the Tibet

Official Chinese made violences against the women Tibetans by forcing young Tibetans girls with the prostitution. Testimonys of young girls Tibetans teenagers appeared whom one made accept that one offered a special occasions to them to join the Army of Release of the People, and who are finally found deceived undergoing multiple rapes, pregnancies and abortions. It is known as that this type of treatment is the standard for the girls Tibetans in the Chinese army.

The prostitution with Lhassa develops quickly. The recent figures indicate that there are roughly 8.890 prostitutes with Lhassa: 9% of the population femminie. Although the prostitution is proscribed in China, it is completely common to find houses closed in front of the hut of the army and the offices of the government with Lhassa, where the officers divert the eyes. Since Lhassa is a Holy City for the Tibetans, this immoral type of action by the Chinese is particularly badly taken. Documentary of Marie Louville was devoted to this subject.

Types and places of prostitution

The Chinese police force classifies the practices relating to the prostitution according to a scale on seven levels, although this classification does not report all the existing forms of prostitution. These levels clarify the heterogeneity of the prostitution and the population Chinese prostitute. Classification as a prostitute thus reflects a very different panel of services offered. Into certain categories, for example, one rejects the practices of oral or anal sex. Parallel to the range of the forms of prostitution, the male customers also consist of a range of very diverse professional environments.

The first level, called baoernai (包二奶), refers to the women who play the part of “second women” of rich and influential men, including political and contractors of the continent as well as foreign business men. This practice is defined as prostitution because the women in question actively solicit the men who can provide them a housing to limited duration and a regular allowance. Sometimes the women who engage in this practice will cohabit sometimes with their customers, and ambitionnent to become their wife.

The second level of prostitution, called baopo (包婆), refers to the women who accompany by the business men for one limited duration, for example at the time of a stay of business, and receive a remuneration for this service. The first and second described level of prostitution became a subject of surging public debate, because it are explicitly related to the corruption which exists within the government. Certain local commentators affirm that these practices are the concrete expression of the “middle-class privileges”. The organization AlChina Women' S Federation, feminist main organization supported by the Chinese Communist party, as well as organizations for the defense of the women in HongKong and Taiwan, implied herself in the fight against this form of cohabitation, which violates the values and the spirit of the traditional marriage.

The third level, called santing (三厅), makes reference to the women who offer acts and sexual intercourse with men in karaoké, bars, restaurants, living rooms of the, and other establishments which receive an financial equalization in the form of tips that the customer pours.

Perception of the prostitution

Even if the prostitution is officially prohibited one can say that the tolerance level is broad. If this category of services is not mentioned on the tariffs of the saunas, it will be possible to discuss it.

The prostitutes in China come from all the mediums and the perception which the Chinese have of this activity is radically different from that which have we in the companies Judeo-Christians. It is frequent that the young girls send in fact a broad part of their seals to their family remained in the campaigns, where the miserable incomes are supplemented by a genuine basket. A girl who sends 100€/mois to her family will escape in fact from very critical. And that cannot be perceived like immoral for the Chinese.

In the saunas and hotels one can say that the girls are exploited since a major part of their incomes will go to the tenants. It is thus current to give an additional amount (Xiao Fei) whose totality will be for the young girl. The conditions of hygienes are generally perfect and the girls perfectly informed of the function of the condom with regard to the prevention of the diseases sexually transmissible.

Certain girls are also victims of gangster networks which have them " achetées" with their parents, which were misled most of the time as for the finality of the operation: promise of a work downtown in a company or a factory. These girls are reduced to the state of sexual slaves by their procurers, sometimes protected by the official buildings.

The independent girls can earn their living in China very well: 2000€-5000€/mois. Prettiest can allow itself to choose their customers. It publish their advertisements in the form of proposal for massages in residence or go out of nightclubs.

Others

In the Chinese slang, a hen designates a prostitute and a duck designates a man who male prostitute.

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