Soon after CCTV aired an exposé on prostitution in China’s “sex capital,” authorities in the southern city of Dongguan arrested 67 prostitutes and shut down 12 entertainment venues doubling as brothels. CCTV elicited less shock than criticism. The undercover journalists did not examine the circumstances that make sex work an attractive career choice, nor the potentially exploitative treatment of prostitutes. With a stream of sex scandals involving government officials in the past few years, the reporters and police seem to be punishing those at the bottom of a very long food chain.
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A young mother and her son approach Shanghai with nothing but straw mats to sleep on and a few other possessions. Many of China’s sex workers are rural women with little education and limited options. The health advocacy group Asia Catalyst reports that “rural women have become increasingly marginalized and relegated to society’s lowest stratum” as China’s economic development progresses. (Dashixiong)
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A powerful claw holds a video camera while a fly swatter looms over two busy insects. Xi Jinping vowed last year to tackle corruption at all levels of government, going after “tigers and flies.” Here, the monster behind the camera is going for the easiest prey, and making sure the whole country will see their downfall. (Mengchenshang/Weibo)
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What is open, and what is locked. (Lao Xiao/Weibo)
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Going to Dongguan. “Chicken” is slang for prostitute in Mandarin. (Siling Ben)
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“Pray for Dongguan,” cartoonist Xiao Guai writes next to a suggestive candle. “Tonight, we are all Dongguanese (clients).” There’s not much to mourn, actually–the city is estimated to have about 300,000 prostitutes. 67 arrests hardly makes a dent in the industry.
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Authorities have called the prostitution bust “sweeping out yellow” (扫黄), “yellow” being a catch-all term for pornography and lustful activities. Spurred by the Dongguan sweep and inspired by its color scheme, netizens have turned the German flag into a symbol of “ruling the country by morals” (以德治国). The Chinese word for Germany, 德国 Déguó, is based on sound (in German, it is Deutschland), but the name includes the character for “morals,” 德. There are several interpretations of the flag. Weibo user 王左中右 gives his take: “Rule the country by morals: beat black, sing red, sweep yellow” (以德治国：打黑，唱红，扫黄). Those first two commandments were Bo Xilai’s signature campaigns when he was Party secretary of Chongqing. (Wang Zuozhongyou/Weibo)
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Rebel Pepper sweeps away yellow stars fallen from the Chinese flag. (Rebel Pepper)
Check out more untranslated cartoons from CDT Chinese.
