Male Escorts for the Chinese: the Quiet Rise of a New Tourism Game in Town
There is an identical white flyer (likely illegally) pasted on many telephone poles on the outskirts of Ipoh's New Town. The content is written 100% in Chinese, with no Malay or English translation. It advertises hiring of "male publicity officers" (男性公關) who, so duly pointed out, will enjoy salaries of more than 10,000 Ringgits per month ("generous tips" in exact wording), flexible working hour in an, ehm, "exciting job opportunity" (刺激的工作機會). Given the relative absence of conspicuous nightclubs and lounge bars in this part of the city, such an exciting opportunity was definitely abnormal.
Gradually, the truth began to reveal itself in the form of more straightforward advertisements of the same medium. This time, again only in Chinese, the hiring is for "male companions in travel" (男性伴游) with dubious promise of "no extra services" (無附加服務) and the same high-quality benefits as mentioned above. Nowhere to be found are advertisements in other languages for the same hiring info. And shockingly, upon returning by bus to KL, the author found the same white posters plastered around the bus stations as well...evidently the demand is extremely high for Chinese males.
This reminds of a previous post a few years ago that touches upon how Chinese male tourists are changing the face of prostitution business in Spain. This could very much be the female counterpart of this movement, here in the heart of Southeast Asia. Come to think of it, there has been appearance of tour buses marked by signage of " shopping wives' groups" (購物太太團 - sounds random but the little placards in front of tour buses actually have this) from various parts of China (Shanghai being the most common). It is highly plausible and easy to suspect that these rich ladies are doing more than just purchasing luxury items.
Perhaps in the same way rich middle-aged British women find their male companionship in the heartlands of West Africa, the rich Chinese middle-aged women have their sights set on Southeast Asia. Without the English skills of their British counterparts, they are seeking young Chinese-speakers that are, well, more exotic than what they can find back in China, and for a far cheaper price, especially as inflation becomes more and more of a harsh reality in China. Given how these posters are only recent additions to a city used to messages in random places, this should be considered a fairly new phenomenon.
But what is undeniable is the demand for such services. As the richest of the rich in China head to the West to park the cash they earned, legally or illegally, in the vast Chinese market for safekeeping and insurance for future rainy days, the lesser rich but still rich, who cannot afford to go to the West want to do the same. Malaysia, with cheaper prices, use of Chinese language, and proximity to the Chinese homeland, ought to be an ideal location. And of course, there is that added benefit of extra entertainment for the wives when they are guarding, by themselves, their new real estate in foreign countries.
Indeed, it has become the norm for husbands operating successful businesses to remain in China while the wives and the kids take residence in foreign lands with money wired in from China. When the kids are old enough to go to college/work, the wives may very much by "empty nesting" by herself in a strange land with few friends or family members. Their husbands, more often than not, are discreetly keeping mistresses back in China (thus the unwillingness for the wives to simply move back to China), leaving the wives lonely but full of cash that they can freely use for their own entertainment.
As more and more mainland Chinese head south here for Malaysia, such services as advertised in these little white posters are only going to become more lucrative, more ubiquitous, and consequently, more brazen. As with many other things, the authorities are likely to turn a blind eye, leaving this grey market for long-term sexual services to establish itself, and possibly and more scarily, allowing this culture of male companionship to spread beyond the confines of the small but emerging mainland Chinese community here in Malaysia. If this is the case, conflict with overall conservative attitudes of society is only a matter of time.
But for the moment, let's focus just on the short term. In a very devious and distorted way, it is diffusion of wealth from the wealthy to the (relatively) poor. It is a side-effect of globalization, where demand in one country can be met by supply in another, with some cultural (and deeply personal) sacrifices as the necessary cost. Either way, in this particular example, China's negative image of arrogance is only to be strengthened in this neighborhood, as now, they are not only here to steal jobs and money, but apparently are now going so far to get their hands on the young boys...God forbid....
Gradually, the truth began to reveal itself in the form of more straightforward advertisements of the same medium. This time, again only in Chinese, the hiring is for "male companions in travel" (男性伴游) with dubious promise of "no extra services" (無附加服務) and the same high-quality benefits as mentioned above. Nowhere to be found are advertisements in other languages for the same hiring info. And shockingly, upon returning by bus to KL, the author found the same white posters plastered around the bus stations as well...evidently the demand is extremely high for Chinese males.
This reminds of a previous post a few years ago that touches upon how Chinese male tourists are changing the face of prostitution business in Spain. This could very much be the female counterpart of this movement, here in the heart of Southeast Asia. Come to think of it, there has been appearance of tour buses marked by signage of " shopping wives' groups" (購物太太團 - sounds random but the little placards in front of tour buses actually have this) from various parts of China (Shanghai being the most common). It is highly plausible and easy to suspect that these rich ladies are doing more than just purchasing luxury items.
Perhaps in the same way rich middle-aged British women find their male companionship in the heartlands of West Africa, the rich Chinese middle-aged women have their sights set on Southeast Asia. Without the English skills of their British counterparts, they are seeking young Chinese-speakers that are, well, more exotic than what they can find back in China, and for a far cheaper price, especially as inflation becomes more and more of a harsh reality in China. Given how these posters are only recent additions to a city used to messages in random places, this should be considered a fairly new phenomenon.
But what is undeniable is the demand for such services. As the richest of the rich in China head to the West to park the cash they earned, legally or illegally, in the vast Chinese market for safekeeping and insurance for future rainy days, the lesser rich but still rich, who cannot afford to go to the West want to do the same. Malaysia, with cheaper prices, use of Chinese language, and proximity to the Chinese homeland, ought to be an ideal location. And of course, there is that added benefit of extra entertainment for the wives when they are guarding, by themselves, their new real estate in foreign countries.
Indeed, it has become the norm for husbands operating successful businesses to remain in China while the wives and the kids take residence in foreign lands with money wired in from China. When the kids are old enough to go to college/work, the wives may very much by "empty nesting" by herself in a strange land with few friends or family members. Their husbands, more often than not, are discreetly keeping mistresses back in China (thus the unwillingness for the wives to simply move back to China), leaving the wives lonely but full of cash that they can freely use for their own entertainment.
As more and more mainland Chinese head south here for Malaysia, such services as advertised in these little white posters are only going to become more lucrative, more ubiquitous, and consequently, more brazen. As with many other things, the authorities are likely to turn a blind eye, leaving this grey market for long-term sexual services to establish itself, and possibly and more scarily, allowing this culture of male companionship to spread beyond the confines of the small but emerging mainland Chinese community here in Malaysia. If this is the case, conflict with overall conservative attitudes of society is only a matter of time.
But for the moment, let's focus just on the short term. In a very devious and distorted way, it is diffusion of wealth from the wealthy to the (relatively) poor. It is a side-effect of globalization, where demand in one country can be met by supply in another, with some cultural (and deeply personal) sacrifices as the necessary cost. Either way, in this particular example, China's negative image of arrogance is only to be strengthened in this neighborhood, as now, they are not only here to steal jobs and money, but apparently are now going so far to get their hands on the young boys...God forbid....
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