China’s latest ‘crackdown’ is about shaming sex workers, not stopping the trade

Police Raid on Notorious ‘Sin City’ Greeted with Ridicule

They called it an “exposé.” On Saturday, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV published a report on the flourishing sex trade in the southern city of Dongguan. Using concealed cameras, they showed women dancing in a Karaoke club and lining up for selection by customers. “No police are coming,” a hotel clerk says. “We would have been put out of business long ago if they had come.”

But shortly after the piece was broadcast, a team of local officers swooped in for a crackdown. A 6,000-strong force reportedly raided 12 hotels and entertainment venues leading to 67 arrests — 90-odd cops for each of the alleged perpetrators. Two police chiefs were later suspended, according the South China Morning Post.

The idea of “exposing” China’s sex industry is frankly absurd, which is why the story swiftly became a Monday morning joke here. You don’t need a hidden camera to find dancing girls in Dongguan — you need eyes.

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