Life of Guangzhou - Controversial Investigation: "Midnight Cowboy" in Shenzhen

During April and May of 2006, Fang Gang, a doctoral student at Renmin University China, lurked in a club in Shenzhen to make an undercover investigation of male prostitutes. His thesis is an investigation describing the details of this group's lifestyle. "In my opinion, sex work is just a kind of profession, a personal career option," Fang Gang said.

"In my opinion, sex work is just a kind of profession, a personal career option," Fang Gang said.

As a scholar, Fang Gang calls his work a "community investigation" into the masculine features of male sex workers. In June of 2007, his 180,000-word doctoral thesis titled "Research on The Construction of Masculine Features of Male Sex Workers" was accepted.

Fang Gang states that male sex workers are a product of the sexual revolution that occurred after the Cultural Revolution. They are usually referred to as "Male PR" or "Mr. PR" in their circle. Some call them "duck" insultingly. However, Fang Gang describes them simply as "Male Sex Workers".

Historically, China has records of "male imperial concubines". Modern "male sex workers" didn't appear until the 1980s. Shenzhen, as one of the earliest special economic zones for opening up and reform, is believed to be a hotbed for the trade, and currently the city most populated by male sex workers.

Entering the club as a salesman

During April and May, Fang Gang entered FH Club in Shenzhen as a salesman in order to carry out his research. On the suggestion of some insiders, he used his true name and identity as he was told that, in Shenzhen no one cared about other peoples business, after he gained entry to the club, nobody asked about his intentions, they just assumed he was in Shenzhen to make money.

Customers are mainly from Hong Kong and Taiwan

According to insiders, in Shenzhen there are two to three times as many female as male sex workers. Nearly every club has female sex workers; however, only large clubs incorporate male sex workers.

In Shenzhen, most customers coming for male sex services are from Hong Kong and to a lesser extent Taiwan. It is said that only 20% of female customers are from the mainland. However, according to Fang Gang's source in Beijing, over half of female customers are from the mainland. Most of the female customers are in their 40s and 50s.

Every weekend, many Hong Kong women swarm into the city for the sex service. Most of them are OL, bosses of small enterprises and so on. They come to Shenzhen for the relatively cheap prices. Customers from mainland China are often rich people.

Staying with a male sex worker for the night costs at least RMB 7,000

Fang Gang found FH Club is managed by ** Culture Company. All staff begin their work at 6:00 pm every day. Usually, the manager holds a meeting to review the work of the day before and inspire all to work harder before they go to work.

Some sources told Fang Gang that the minimum price for male sex workers to go out of a club is RMB 3,000 and RMB 7,000 for a whole night.

Work in the sex service industry is very unstable. A month after Fang Gang left Shenzhen, he heard that his "friends" had moved to another club, and at the end of 2006, they withdrew from the industry and some went back to their hometowns.

Undercover investigation triggers controversy

As a scholar interested in the sociology of sex, Fang Gang specializes in research on sex, marriage and the family, and has published over 30 works home and abroad.

His undercover investigation on male sex workers in Shenzhen triggered furious controversy in this traditional and conservative country.

"So-called research ! He just wants to become a sex worker himself." "What a shame! Maybe he's crazy about being famous!"Criticism and satirical comments on this matter fill online forums.

Some even doubt that Fang Gang's work was legal. Responding to this allegation, Fang Gang said frankly: "I don't think sex service workers are immoral, and I won't definitely try to persuade them to change their job. In my opinion, sex work is just a kind of profession, a personal career option."Doctor Zhao Hejun, Sex Law expert, stated that although sex work is illegal according to Chinese law, investigation and research into this field is not.

The expenses of a RMB 40,000 research budget are also highlighted. Some scholars argue that if all doctoral students spend so much in researching, the research budget will be never enough.

Professor Xia Xuenuan of the Sociology faculty at Beijing University also mentioned that the thesis is reasonable provided Fang Gang didn't participate in sex work. He thinks that there should not be forbidden zones for academic research. However, he also stressed that he would like to "encourage scholars to do more meaningful research, because at this moment, research on male sex workers is not a primary topic."

Other scholars spoke highly of Fang Gang's "courageous research". Doctor Sun Haifeng of Shenzhen university said: "His thesis is much better than those written by idly theorizing doctors. Social research requires getting into the scene and being close to the subjects. Just reading and interpreting data and information is useless, especially when it comes to the sex service industry, doing research in this field takes guts."

As a matter of fact, Fang Gang has been a controversial figure for as much as 12 years when he lost his job as a university teacher of psychology and became a freelance writer on sex. Now, he says that he is calm about disputes surrounding his research.

Interest in socially vulnerable groups rooted in an unhappy childhood

"My doctoral thesis aims at researching masculine features through male sex workers. I am not interested in exposing others' secrets or privacy," Fang Gang said. In his mind, China has few researchers focusing on men, which greatly hinders equality between females and males. "If women keep talking about equality, while men insist on holding onto their privileges, how can we truly realize equality ?"Fang Gang believes that research on masculine features has a direct relationships to the equality of both sexes, and the subjects of his research are male sex workers who are a product of social development and definitional changes in male and female roles.

Since his subjects are from special, socially vulnerable groups, he chooses to join the groups so as to get first-hand understanding.

According to Fang Gang, his interest in socially vulnerable groups may be rooted in his own unhappy childhood. "I was often bullied by my classmates when I was young. When I became a journalist, I got in touch with homosexuals for the first time. I instinctively felt that they are pressured by society and I felt that I should do something for them," Fang said.

Li Yinhe: China needs more debates of this sort

At the end of this Oct., reputed sociologist of sex Li Yinhe expressed her embarrassment in her online blog: "Sexology exposes the little private secrets with scientific analysis to the public, which puts the researchers and readers in a dilemma."

At the same time, she also claimed firmly that, "Obviously China needs more debates on the issues covered by Fang Gang. In which case, people won’t respond with such agitation."

"I will not refuse to be in the limelight," Fang Gang said, "Although that's neither my intention nor the worth of the thesis, but at least I arouse more concern on the topic from people."

Fang Gang plans to continue his investigations in other topics such as sex partner exchange, cross-dressing and so on, in Shenzhen from the middle of next January.

So far, Fang Gang is believed to be the first researcher in China focusing on masculine features. He hopes he can found a "Male Research Study" in China within ten years.

However, he told the reporter that he felt very lonely.

(By Helena Zhang and Alan Devey)