Officers monitor condom usage by collecting wrappers used by sex workers in a brothel. Photo: CFP

By Zeng Zhiwei

As he sat in his apartment in Pudong New Area, G, who asked to remain anonymous, was surprised when a customer entered from another room, where he was supposed to be having sex with one of G's associates, and opened the front door to the apartment. Six men then burst in and shouted, "Give us all your money!" G then told them to leave and threatened to call the police. "Well, you don't need to; I'll call them for you," the man replied.

Although he had more than 10 men on his side, G gave them all the money he had. "Most rent boys are pretty effeminate, and they scare easily. I had to give the money because my boys don't want any trouble before the Chinese New Year," G said. G lost more than 10,000 yuan ($1,500) in the robbery.

G is a pimp, a pimp for rent boys and has been in the business for two years. When the robbery happened, he was running a "club" with more than 10 rent boys. Club is how rent boys refer to their brothels in China, which are usually rented apartments with a manager, a boss and several computers which are used to post online advertisements and contact clients. Later G found out that the gang not only robbed him but also other brothels in cities like Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Beijing. "They knew we are afraid of the police. They were taking advantage of that," G said. G did not report the robbery to the police, instead he closed his brothel. "We are an unprotected group. Few people even know we exist. No one is on our side," G said.

"Crimes against rent boys get more severe at the end of the year," Zheng Huang, the general manager of Shanghai Leyi, told the Global Times. Shanghai Leyi is an organization sponsored by Oxfam Hong Kong (an independent development and humanitarian organization working against poverty and related injustices) dedicated to improving the health and living standards of Chinese sex workers. Its primary focus is rent boys in Shanghai. "A lot of robberies happen to them at the end of the year as they have accumulated much money by that time. Thieves understand most rent boys won't go to the police if the case isn't life threatening," said Zheng, one of the founders of Shanghai Leyi, which was founded in 2004.

Shanghai Leyi encourages sex workers to report crimes against them to the police. According to Zhang Xiaoying, a lawyer in Shanghai, the Chinese legal system protects victims even if the victim is involved in illegal activity. "The law has much lighter punishment for the victim. Sometimes, their crimes are even ignored," Zhang said. However, sex workers still prefer to avoid punishment no matter how small. "Yes, maybe you can get away this time, but next time, you won't be as lucky because the police know your face," said G. Besides the punishment, the feeling of shame also makes them unwilling to go to the police as they have to reveal their profession.

Shanghai Leyi has served more than 10,000 sex workers so far, more than 70 percent of them are rent boys, the rest are female and transvestite sex workers, according to Zheng. There are also other organizations in China which have contact with sex workers, but as an organization that primarily helps male sex workers, Shanghai Leyi is the first of its kind on the Chinese mainland.

Shanghai Leyi employs different methods to help sex workers, they provide an enquiry hotline, and do community outreach which involves going to places where sex workers congregate, providing them with condoms and developing relationships. The organization also offers training sessions for self-defense, safety guidance for their customers, media guidance and legal assistance.

An illegal business

According to the Law of the People's Republic of China on Public Security Administration Punishment, police can detain prostitutes and their clients for 10 days to 15 days and fine them up to 5,000 yuan. For less serious cases, police can detain sex workers for up to five days and fine them up to 500 yuan. For procuring prostitutes, the punishment is more severe; and those found guilty can receive sentences anywhere from five to 10 years. In cases involving children and rape, the sentences can be anywhere from 10 years to life.

Since the beginning of the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai, local police have been cracking down on prostitution in the city. "Before, when we were caught by the police, they fined us 100 or 200 yuan, but recently, they have been fining us much more," said another pimp F, who also asked to remain anonymous. According to F, rumors of police in Shanghai handing down harsh punishments have been circulating around the city. To learn more about the situation Shanghai Leyi recently gathered around 10 pimps to discuss harassment they have faced from the authorities. According to Zheng, more and more rent boys are leaving town as business is getting tougher in Shanghai.

The government crackdown has done more than just force sex workers to leave town. "The problem with police fining prostitutes heavily is that they are more likely to accept clients' requests to practice unsafe sex. They're in this business because they want to earn money. After they are fined a huge amount, they become more eager to earn the money back. As a result, they might risk their health for more money," said Liu Yibo, the assistant director of Shanghai Leyi.

When asked whether Shanghai Leyi is assisting illegal activity Zheng's response was clear, "It is not a crime; it is just another profession. If we say this job is illegal, then it means we in a way look down upon sex workers. But after you get to know them, you realize they are no different than people working in a factory." Shanghai Leyi does not offer services to help sex workers leave the profession.

Independent film Welcome to Destination Shanghai, which is banned on the Chinese mainland, portrays the lives of sex workers in Shanghai.

A profession without dignity

Zhuo has been a sex worker since September this year, a secret he has kept from his family and friends. "I tell them that I work at a bar, I feel ashamed of what I am doing," said Zhuo who graduated from a secondary technical school in 2007. After hearing that there was a large gay community as well as more job opportunities in Shanghai; Zhuo came to Shanghai in 2009 for a better life.

Filled with hope, the reality of Shanghai soon became apparent. "Life here is so expensive," said Zhuo who used to work at a barbershop and a sauna. "I worked long hours every day and I only made around 1,000 yuan a month, with this money, I was not able to support myself," Zhuo said. Working as a rent boy, Zhuo earns around 4,000 yuan a month. "When I can financially support myself, I will quit this job," said Zhuo. Zhuo once met someone he really liked, but he dared not tell him what he does for living, and ended the relationship. "I couldn't tell him, I feel dirty and ashamed," he said.

According to Zheng, most rent boys in Shanghai are 18 to 25, and most of them do not have much education. "Many people think this group can earn a lot and have a decent life, but that's rarely the case. Most of them don't earn much and don't have a comfortable life. They chose this career because of economic reasons. Our society has become so materialistic, and the young generation is the most effected group. They want the things advertised on billboards. If they work in a factory, they can hardly cover their living costs. Before criticizing them, please rethink how our society has influenced them," said Zheng.

The brothels

There are different ways of working as a rent boy; some work independently, some work for a brothel and some do both. Working independently requires a sex worker to look for clients on his own; therefore there is no guarantee of a regular income. Apart from the financial risk, there are risks from the clients as well. In the book Sex without Boundaries, which documents the experiences of nine rent boys in Shenzhen, a rent boy called Jie was quoted as saying, "Some clients believe that rent boys who work independently are less likely to carry sexually transmitted diseases because they are believed to receive fewer clients." The book was published in July 2010 by Midnight Blue Hong Kong which is a non-government organization aiming to build a male sex worker support network in Hong Kong and Shenzhen. According to the organizer of Midnight Blue Hong Kong, they were not able to publish the book on the Chinese mainland.

When Jie worked in a brothel, clients would always use a condom. But when he worked independently, he encountered more clients who refused to use one. After three years of working as a rent boy, Jie contracted syphilis and HIV.

Aside from the health benefits, brothels provide more regular clients as they invest money in online advertising. They are also known to offer accommodation, although the accommodation provided is very basic. "Most rent boys prefer to work for a brothel, especially those who are new to the business because they don't know many clients," said G.

However, these benefits come with conditions. Brothels take a commission, sometimes as much as 50 percent. And some brothels have very strict regulations. For example, they require employees to remain in the brothel for 24 hours if no clients request them to go out for service. "I have no other choice," said K, one of the pimps at the meeting. K rents a luxury apartment with very good security. He has about 20 rent boys living in his apartment. "If they all came and went as they wished, my neighbors would complain. They might report it to the police. And I would be in trouble," he said. Every night before he goes to sleep, he locks the apartment from the inside because he is afraid his employees will steal from him and disappear. "You have all kinds of people in this business. If you care about human rights, you can't survive in this business," he said.  Though some brothels may confine rent boys while they are in their employment, rent boys are free to quit whenever they wish.

Locked inside day in day out, some rent boys turn to drugs. "I am most scared that they do drugs. Sometimes, when the police ask what we are doing in the apartment, I tell them we are a software company. But if there are drugs on the premises, I will surely be arrested" said Q, one of the pimps.

Shanghai Leyi tries to improve the living conditions for rent boys, but the situation is not always prefect. "We recommend to brothels that they rent two apartments if they can afford it. It could be an old apartment for rent boys to live in, where they are free to come and go with no harassment from security guards. And the other one is for business. Locking them up is violating their human rights," said Liu Yibo. However, he added that very few brothels are doing so.

Love in the brothels

Although their work is illegal in China, rent boys fulfill a need. They receive a diverse range of clients, but the majority are closeted gay men. "Many of our clients are married gay men who are not able to go to gay bars to pick up guys. Other clients are government officials, monks and disabled people. Monks are usually the most generous clients. I know several rent boys who have brought apartments after developing serious relationships with monks. Monks are rich because they don't need to pay tax," smiled G, a local pimp.

Though being a sex worker proved to be a nightmare for HIV positive Jie, he enjoyed being with disabled people. "Sometimes I feel happy to be a rent boy. I feel happy to be with those blind people, those people who have physical disabilities … they really care about you, sometimes I feel I am melting in their arms," said Jie. According to Zheng Huang, founder of the Shanghai Levy, most rent boys choose this career because they have no other choice. "It just happens that some of them do enjoy the work," said Zheng.