Other stories on Periscope: History of Hong Kong sex industry. Different views on prostitution. Lending a hand. Brothels offer services from 'students' and a variety of ethnic women. On a dimly lit street in Sham Shui Po, four young girls stood dutifully in a line. They were displayed like goods on a shelf waiting to be purchased. They looked nearly identical — heavy make-up, colorful, flashy clothes, mini-skirts.
In a low but clear voice, a middle-aged woman spoke. Good service guaranteed. Around the corner on Fuk Wa Street, Susan not her real name stood alone in the cold.
She swung her flashy purse as it flickered with light from nearby neon signs. Her outfit was similar to those of the other girls. Susan just turned She came from Shenzhen and has been working as a prostitute in the Sham Shui Po red light district for almost 2 years. I met my husband in a pub in Shenzhen. He was a taxi driver.
I married him three months after we met and followed him to Hong Kong. I was too stupid to trust him. That makes life a lot less complicated. As for many others, it is the lure of earning quick money that pushed her into the business. But I need the cash. I have no other skills or knowledge. There is little work I can do. There are both married and unmarried men. Like normal people, we need holidays, too. I live in a rented apartment with several friends in Sham Shui Po.
We buy things like clothes and cosmetics. According to figures released by the Immigration Department, about 7, mainland Chinese were arrested for illegal prostitution in , nearly twice the number of the previous year. They usually come here for the illegal immigrants. I have an I. Susan has had some unpleasant experiences with local residents. They think we are dirty. They think what we do is reprehensible. We all laugh when we are happy. We all weep when we are sad. After all, who wants to marry a prostitute?
