1932: Playing with the Japanese Communist Party with a doll

"...These are truly heartwarming words."

Mark chuckled twice, patted his face, and said excitedly:

"Let's go, check in first, then we can go out and wander around!"

"As you wish."

The two walked towards Nanjing East Road and checked into the Cathay Hotel, which was completed and put into use in 1929 (later known as the Peace Hotel).

If you want to stay in a hotel these days, four words are enough:

As long as you have money.

As for things like "letter of introduction" and "identity certificate", they are required on the surface but are not actually checked at all.

So, it's very suitable for causing trouble.

After throwing the luggage into the hotel room, Mark slipped out with his agent again. There were a bunch of rickshaws at the door vying to greet guests.

Mark picked two instructors who looked pleasing, smart, and could speak Sichuan-Hubei dialects/Northern Mandarin, and planned to stroll around the concession.

Purpose, no;

Destination, no;

Anyway, let the master go wherever he wants.

Don’t some people like to brag about the “Golden Decade of the Republic of China”?

Isn’t it said that “the Republic of China was a hundred times better than the country today”?

Wasn’t it claimed that “During the Republic of China period, it only took 6 hours to travel from Shanghai to Beijing by train, and only 3 hours by official express”?

I finally have this opportunity, so I'll come and see it with my own eyes.

033 Pornography, gambling, drugs, and crime are all available 1

3374 words

Rickshaw, a two-wheeled vehicle pulled by human power, is the most common means of transportation in Shanghai. Its status at that time was roughly equivalent to that of taxis in later generations.

However, unlike taxis in later generations, rickshaw drivers do not chat like taxi drivers.

Pulling a cart and watching the road is a very, very hard job. Apart from necessary communication, the driver has neither the mind nor the energy to talk to the passengers behind.

By the way, the reason why two were chosen was because Fujiwara Kanezane learned from the experience of almost crushing Tanabe Ina's rickshaw when he and the agent were riding together last time.

Despite having a body made of ultra-lightweight alloy, the agent still weighed 200kg, and the driver of the car pulling her was obviously struggling.

However, Mark weighs less than 65kg, so the "Camel Xiangzi" pulling his cart still has the energy to reply to him.

“...Brother…”

"I don't deserve it..."

The driver hurriedly shook his head. Although his eyes were looking forward, the respectful air on his body could still be easily sensed:

"Sir, we are lowly people, we don't deserve your kindness. Just call us cart drivers..."

"Then I will call you Master."

"..."

I'm not a monk...

Although he was muttering about the strange name in his heart, the young master in front of him rarely looked so gentle, so the driver just went along with him.

"Hey sir, I'm glad you're happy... Where are you planning to go, sir?"

"I'm not planning on going anywhere, just wandering around Shanghai... Tell me what's fun and interesting to see."

"okay!"

The driver had seen many foreigners who came to Shanghai for fun. Upon hearing this, he immediately introduced places like "Great World", "City God Temple" and "World Expo".

But all were denied by Mark:

"...Are there any other fun places?"

"Something else..."

After hearing this, the driver was puzzled.

This boss looks so young, could he be planning to go somewhere not very respectable?

But a guest is a guest, so he had to reveal the location he didn't want to say:

"Then there's only the Changsan Apartment."

"Long Sanyu? What's it for?"

"that is..."

The driver carefully glanced to the side and back and whispered:

"It's a brothel, a high-class one."

"..."

Hearing this, the agent's murderous eyes swept over, making the two drivers feel cold all over.

What a murderous aura!

This gentleman too, if your wife is jealous, she should have told you earlier!

What if this deal goes south or I get beaten up...

Fortunately, the agent just glanced at the driver and said nothing. Mark became slightly interested:

"A high-class brothel...how high-class is it?"

"Sir, this is embarrassing for me. How could I have seen this before?"

"Yes!"

Mark slapped his head and thought to himself that he was an idiot.

Seeing that he was quite interested, the driver took another look at the agent's face. After finding that there was nothing unusual, he said carefully:

"How about we tell you about it?"

Normally, he wouldn't talk so much, but this gentleman's accent is somewhat similar to his.

It’s not certain, he is also from Hubei.

"Okay!"

Through the subsequent chat and introduction, Mark gained some understanding of the brothels in Shanghai during the Republic of China period and even the prostitutes themselves.

First, brothels, prostitutes, and even prostitution itself are completely legal, supported, taxed, and managed by the government;

To standardize the practice, local governments issued prostitutes "Prostitute Licenses," which included information such as name, age, residence, place of origin, place of work, reason for becoming a prostitute, whether it was voluntary, and the issuing agency.

Every prostitute had to obtain a business license and pay a monthly "flower donation" (tax). Later, some local governments found that too many prostitutes were running away from their clients, so they required the tax to be paid immediately after the transaction. People at the time jokingly called it "forced taxation."

Secondly, brothels are divided into different grades. The "Chang San Yu" or "Chang San Tang Zi" that the driver first mentioned to Mark is a first-class brothel;

The prostitutes here are said to be not only beautiful, but also proficient in all arts, such as music, chess, calligraphy and painting. They claim to "sell their mouths but not their bodies" and only serve as companions for drinking and soliciting customers. They are commonly known as "eating flower wine" or "being a flower head";

The next-lower-class brothels are called "Yao Er Tang Zi" (a brothel), which are filled with "older prostitutes" in their 20s and 30s, usually retired prostitutes from "Chang San Tang Zi" (a brothel with a long history).

The worst are the "flower smoke houses" or "wild chicken places". These prostitutes are not considered "public prostitutes". They often find an alley or a room at random and provide the lowest level of sexual services.

In addition to the above, there are some types who are not sure whether they can be classified as "prostitutes". They usually have normal jobs, but occasionally engage in prostitution to supplement their family income. They are generally called "half-open doors".

Of course, due to his limited status, poor financial situation and relatively clean conduct, the driver's introduction actually had some problems.

Because the real "first-class brothel" is called "Qingyin Xiaoban", where the prostitutes are all dressed in fashionable and elegant clothes, and their rooms are decorated in gorgeous furnishings. Only high-ranking officials and nobles can see them;

The real "low-class prostitutes" are actually called "yellow earth kangs". The prostitutes in them lie side by side on the bed/big bunk with their legs spread apart, exposing their pussies. The customers come up and fuck them, and then leave after they ejaculate, and then they are replaced by the next one.

dead?

If you die, just die.

Just send someone else over.

In short, contrary to the boasts of Apple fans that "prostitution was banned as soon as the Republic of China was established", the prostitution industry in Shanghai was so prosperous that the Shenbao even bitterly mocked itself publicly:

"Shanghai is too prosperous, and there are too many prostitutes... Prostitution is the only industry in China that is far ahead of the world..."

Did the Nationalist government take any action in this regard?

Take care of it!

Mr. Sun proposed to ban prostitution, and then Chiang Kai-shek, who had become ill from visiting prostitutes in Japan, came to power and strictly implemented the "ban on prostitution" policy;

However, what is banned is "private prostitution".

Damn bastard, prostitution doesn’t even pay taxes to the country!

Well, just tell me whether it is banned or not!

After hearing this quite detailed introduction, Mark smiled and said:

"...Master, it seems you really know your stuff!"

"I don't deserve it, I don't deserve it. I've heard all sorts of things from people all over the world. Just treat it as a joke."

"So where do they work?"

work?

Oh, it should mean "going to work", right?

This gentleman speaks differently from others.

"Sanyuanfang on Fuzhou Road, Jiuanli on Liumalu, Minheli on Hankou Road, Xiaohuayuan, Qinghefang, Yingchunfang, Fuyuli, Fuzhili, Fuxiangli... they all have it."

The driver listed a bunch of brothel names like a menu, thought for a moment, and then said:

"These are all third-tier brothels. I believe a man of your status would never go to a second-tier brothel or a pheasant restaurant."

"How many prostitutes are there in Shanghai?"

"This...I really don't know."

"Do you see it often?"

"A lot! Of course there aren't a lot! In the alley where we live, there are seven or eight half-open doors! There are at least a dozen in total."

“How many people are there in your alley?”

"About a hundred people!"

That’s... about 10%?

I talked to the agent on the boat. According to statistics, the total population of Shanghai at that time should be around 320 million?

10%...32 prostitutes?

Uh...this is still too exaggerated, it should be impossible.

It’s not that the bottom line of the Nationalist government was not so low, or that the people’s living environment was not so bad, but that “there are too many businesses and too few customers to support this market.”

The laws of economics can't be broken casually...right?

No, no, no, the government's recklessness cannot be explained by economic laws...

Seeing that Mark was lost in thought, the driver asked:

"Sir, which one are you going to?"

"..."

Mark touched his chin, recalling the white powder monsters he had seen in Tokyo and the Republic of China women with strange makeup he had just seen on the road. He also recalled the appearance of the agent and Saga Hiro, and shook his head.

"Forget it, I'm not interested... Is there anything else fun?"

"Uh...."

Hearing this, for some reason, the driver suddenly turned around, his face became serious, he hesitated for a few seconds, slowly stopped the car, and said seriously:

"Sir, where are you from?"