Then & NowHong Kong’s ballroom scene was relatively respected. Then Covid-19 changed everything
- The recent ‘dance-hall cluster’ has thrown a spotlight on the hitherto respectable tradition
- In the time-dishonoured Hong Kong way, people “knew” what was going on, but kept quiet
Hong Kong abounds with older men in relationships with significantly younger women; this phenomenon has long been regarded as a sign of wealth, power and sexual potency.
Just as prevalent, though mostly better hidden, are affluent local females with well-compensated male companions. In Chinese society, openly expressed female sexuality has always been derided; “old ginger is the hottest” is just one pithy saying that coarsely depicts the unlatched carnal desires of “itchy” mature females.
Ballrooms staffed by female taxi dancers became popular in China more than a century ago, during treaty port days; numerous travel accounts and memoirs vividly describe this nightlife scene. Less well-documented – though telling hints exist, if one knows how to decode the euphemisms – are references to the male of the species.
Dance halls have long offered more-or-less respectable entertainment for both sexes, as everything – at least on the surface – is out in the open. Any after-hours private arrangements occur off the premises, and thus concern nobody, unless the unwritten rules of engagement are publicly contravened.
Every so often, some unforeseen circumstance – such as the “dance-hall cluster” – brings this parallel world into sharply sniggering relief. In the time-dishonoured Hong Kong way, everyone “knew” what was really going on, and no one said a word.