Prostitutes blamed for property bulge

"Prostitutes blamed for property bulge
By Wu Zhong, China Editor

HONG KONG - Prostitution is illegal in China, but the police crackdowns recently launched across the country indicate that the "world's oldest profession" is doing as well as ever. In Beijing, there are reportedly so many xiaojie (mistresses) that state media claim their numbers have driven up housing prices.

After efforts to "physically and spiritually" cleanse Beijing for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, prostitution has made a big comeback, so much so that municipal police launched a citywide "strike hard" vice crackdown in April entitled "Operation 4.11"."

Read all the article: Asia Times Online
www.atimes.com/atimes/China/LE26Ad01.html