At the end of the 19th century, Shanghai is divided into several foreign concessions. In the British concession, a number of luxurious “flower houses” are reserved for the male elite of the city. Since Chinese dignitaries are not allowed to frequent brothels, these establishments are the only ones that these men can visit. They form a self-contained world, with its own rites, traditions and even its own language. The men don’t only visit the houses to frequent the courtesans but also to dine, smoke opium, play mahjong and relax. The women working there are known as the “flowers of Shanghai”.
Tony Leung Chiu-wai
Michiko Hada
Carina Lau
Michelle Reis
Jack Kao
Rebecca Pan
Stephanie Fong Shuan
Annie Shizuka Inoh
Vicky Wei
Firebird Liu
Hsu Hui-Ni
Shuan Fang
Hsiao-Hui Wei
Hsu Ming
Josephine A. Blankstein
Simon Chang
Tony Chang
Yiu-Ming Lee
Yu-han Lin
Wei-kuo Chiang
Yu-Hang Lee
Tsai-erh Luo
Moon Wang
Xie Yan