Prostitution

MY family has had a family retainer - a housekeeper-cum-maitre d' - for years and years. He joined us when he was in his 30s. Now he's in his 50s. Every now and again we go to our home in San Francisco and he comes along to work for us.

While he's there he likes to go out with prostitutes. It was always beyond his wildest dreams that he could ever go to bed with a blonde - and for only US$50 ($390). Even in Hong Kong, at a not particularly posh club, he would have to pay HK$800. In a posh club it would be about $1,500, plus pocket money, plus a meal for him and the lady. So in San Francisco he disappears every now and again and has a good time.

He's a good friend of mine and he talks frankly about his heart's desires.

His story is typical of Chinese men, particularly those from the mainland, who have led sheltered lives. He had married in his early teens and had never been with another woman. It was an arranged marriage in the countryside of Fujian province. Until he was 26 she was the only woman in his life.

Since then he has been out with prostitutes and has had some one night stands, but even these are costly, by the time he has taken the women to a movie and dinner.

But when he has a day off in San Francisco he can go and pick up young girls for US$50. When he was in his early 40s the girls he slept with would have been younger than his 18-year-old son. For him this was paradise.