We know prostitution is officially illegal in the Mainland, but then again so are pirated DVDs, and we know how hard they are to get.

With living standards in poor rural areas still well below developed-country standards and wages failing to keep up with inflation, there seems to be a never-ending supply of prostitutes who migrate to China’s larger and wealthier centres looking for money for themselves and their families. Two of China’s more renowned cities for prostitution – Dongguan and Zhuhai – are right here in the Pearl River Delta.

What many people might not be aware of is the high number of Mainland women who are smuggled into Hong Kong, where punters tend to pay a lot more for a prostitute’s services. The city, which permits prostitution as long as it is between only two consenting adults in a private room, has become a hot spot for the sex trade. Sites like this (VPN may be needed) are well-known in Hong Kong, and a vast majority of the women come from Mainland China.

Which makes this next story not terribly surprising. The Nanfang Metropolis Daily reported this past weekend that several Mainland women were picked up at the Lo Wu border crossing in Shenzhen as they attempted to cross into Hong Kong.

Sixty Mainland girls from poor villages were caught at the Shenzhen-Hong Kong border by a joint force comprised of the Shenzhen and Hong Kong police. The girls were arranged to enter Hong Kong by a Hong Kong citizen surnamed Zeng, who runs a big prostitution and smuggling ring bringing Mainland girls to work as prostitutes in Hong Kong. The 60 girls were all sent back to their hometowns.

One has to assume that Zeng is running one of several similar smuggling rings. The sad part of the story is that many of these girls are from small villages and are likely unequipped to deal with the harsh realities of prostitution, especially in a big city like Hong Kong. And they are not alone: prostitutes are routinely smuggled into the city from places such as the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam and even Russia, giving Hong Kong its seedy reputation.

Many thanks to @MissXQ for the translation.