Wan Chai
Action in Wan Chai, Hong Kong, has shifted considerably in recent years. Now it's likely to be found inside a handful of bars blaring canned dance music or the raucous sounds of a Filipino cover band. Entering one of these bars, one soon understands the dimensions of Hong Kong's unregistered sex trade. Dozens of girls, most of them Filipinas in tight jeans or miniskirts, dance or mill about, waiting for an eager male. Many of the women are simply customers out for a good time with their friends, but an increasing number are here to ply the sex trade, brought into Hong Kong by shadowy recruiters with the promise of big money. They're put up in cramped flats and often end up hoping they can at least break even before an immigration officer puts an end to their sojourn and sends them packing.
Wan Chai Bars and Girls
The male customers are businessmen, expatriates, tourists and exuberant soldiers and sailors off the Nimitz in Wan Chai bars.
According to officers in the Philippine consulate, the girls are charged about US$1,000 as a recruitment fee by representatives of triad syndicates to come to Hong Kong and work the bars. The money covers their airfare and has to be paid back in daily installments.
The women themselves are lured to Hong Kong thinking they will make lots of money. The reality, though, is that they become virtual debt slaves, forced to hustle deep into the night to pay "managers" for their air tickets, lodging and food. Many times, the girls say, the syndicates keep their passports and travel documents until the debt is paid.
Prices and Nationalities
"Supply always exceeds demand," says a Hong Kong resident familiar with the area. Prices for sex have gone down lately from HK$1,500 to HK$500. Most of the girls are Filipinas, but this is a multinational stew. There are Indonesians, Thais (see Bar Girl Love), Vietnamese, Laotians, Mongolians and mainlanders. There are even girls from Colombia, Venezuela, Latvia and Eastern Europe in one bar.
Anyone searching for sex with Wan Chai escorts or looking for Wan Chai erotic massage parlors will sooner or later end up on the Wan Chai bar street. The area is not as wild as it was in the old days, but Wan Chai still has a reputation throughout Asia as Hong Kong's best-known red-light district. Bars, hostesses, escorts, freelancers, massage parlors and curious tourists continue to keep the neighborhood busy long after most of the city has gone to sleep.
Stay Safe
Common scams in the area include drink pressure and other nightlife scams, unclear expectations and overcharging. As always, basic precautions and Safe sex rules apply to reduce the risk of STDs.
See Also
- Hong Kong | Asia
- Age of consent in Hong Kong
- Bar street | Bargirl | Bar Girl Love
- Prostitution | Street prostitution | Global prostitution prices
- Sex worker | Prostitute types | Escort | Call girl
- Red-light district | List of red-light districts all over the world
- Brothel | Escort agency | Erotic massage | Strip club
- Sex tourism | Sex industry | Sex vocabulary & Abbreviations
- Drink scam | Bar and Nightclub Scams | Common scams | Escort and Sex scams
- Stay safe | Safe sex | STD | HIV/AIDS
- North America | South America | Europe | Africa | Asia | Oceania