# Wanhua 50 room brothel **URL:** \ **Category:** Living in Taiwan\ **Created:** [October 13, 2023, 1:05pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/wanhua-50-room-brothel/234258 "2023-10-13T13:05:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![crusher](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/user_avatar/tw.forumosa.com/crusher/32/235005_2.png) [@crusher](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/crusher)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2023, 1:05pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/wanhua-50-room-brothel/234258/1 "2023-10-13T13:05:12Z")
Police bust a 50 room Brothel near Snake Alley Mostly foreign sex workers. > **[Police raid 50-room brothel in Taipei's Wanhua, 44 arrested | Taiwan News |...](https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/5019311)** > > Taiwan gang-run operation uses mostly foreign sex workers | 2023-10-13 12:00:00 ---
**Author:** ![afterspivak](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/ccd318/32.png) [@afterspivak](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/afterspivak)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2023, 1:33pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/wanhua-50-room-brothel/234258/2 "2023-10-13T13:33:53Z")
Brian Hioe has posted about this crackdown: _A police raid on a building I pass by daily over sex work. Maybe these women would have it safer if sex work were decriminalized in such a manner that can remove gangster influence? Police actions can endanger sex workers, usually migrants, as well_ _You see police standing outside of the building very often, so they’re completely aware it’s here and have been so for some time. I suspect this happens before elections, however_ _As having lived here [in Wanhua] for many years, it’s rather depressing when you’re eating in the breakfast shop in the early morning, and you hear “Run!” and the clatter of heels. I heard that once and it made a deep impression_ Source: [https://twitter.com/brianhioe/status/1712760572880765063](https://twitter.com/brianhioe/status/1712760572880765063) Guy ---
**Author:** ![tango42](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/82dd89/32.png) [@tango42](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/tango42)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2023, 2:45pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/wanhua-50-room-brothel/234258/3 "2023-10-13T14:45:43Z")
That’s “27 of whom were foreign” taking business from the local Taiwanese. And didn’t have proper work permits to do that job. They didn’t/don’t raid brothels that are purely Taiwanese workers. That only happens if there are some other blatant laws being broken or someone’s not getting their payoff. The last Taipei mayor who is now running for president wanted to turn part of the Wanhua district into an official regulated red light district. He floating the idea but didn’t get enough support. And one of the recent Wanhua area district candidates ran on a platform of legalizing it in the neighborhood. If they clear all the illegal foreign workers then maybe there’s higher chance of getting some regulation into the area business. Maybe an ulterior motive. ---
**Author:** ![anon24369109](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@anon24369109](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/anon24369109)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2023, 3:29pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/wanhua-50-room-brothel/234258/4 "2023-10-13T15:29:42Z")
> [@tango42](#): > > Maybe an ulterior motive. Money? lol [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/up-q544g4sE/hqdefault.jpg "Elton John - Sweet Painted Lady (Yellow Brick Road 9 of 21)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=up-q544g4sE) ---
**Author:** ![Noper](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/n/b487fb/32.png) [@Noper](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/Noper)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2023, 11:24am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/wanhua-50-room-brothel/234258/5 "2023-10-15T11:24:50Z")
> [@tango42](#): > > The last Taipei mayor who is now running for president wanted to turn part of the Wanhua district into an official regulated red light district. He floating the idea but didn’t get enough support. > > And one of the recent Wanhua area district candidates ran on a platform of legalizing it in the neighborhood. Well that area was an actual legal red light district until prostitution was made illegal in 1999 or whenever, and it has essentially been a de facto legal red light district since then, in the sense that everyone knows it exists and the police didn’t appear to try to stop it until now. ---
**Author:** ![afterspivak](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/ccd318/32.png) [@afterspivak](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/afterspivak)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2023, 11:56am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/wanhua-50-room-brothel/234258/6 "2023-10-15T11:56:53Z")
> [@Noper](#): > > Well that area was an actual legal red light district until prostitution was made illegal in 1999 or whenever That didn’t quite look right to me, as I remember how some feminists and sexual liberation activists were furious at then Taipei City Mayor Chen Shui-bian for criminalizing sex work in that city. And yes my memory is not completely falling apart—it seems the correct year is 1997 (Chen was mayor from 1994-1998). Here’s a retrospective article on this subject, published back when the Taipei Times was actually a damned good newspaper. > **[Sex workers protest industry ban - Taipei Times](https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2007/09/07/2003377574)** > > Bringing Taiwan to the World and the World to Taiwan Guy ---
**Author:** ![Noper](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/n/b487fb/32.png) [@Noper](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/Noper)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2023, 12:00pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/wanhua-50-room-brothel/234258/7 "2023-10-15T12:00:30Z")
Hence my use of “or whenever.” I knew it was some time around then. My point was that it has been a red light district for a long time, and for much of its history a legal one. ---
**Author:** ![afterspivak](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/ccd318/32.png) [@afterspivak](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/afterspivak)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2023, 12:01pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/wanhua-50-room-brothel/234258/8 "2023-10-15T12:01:56Z")
The date actually matters, as that was one of the big crisis moments for social activists and the DPP. It’d be a completely different story if it was 1999 when Ma was mayor. Guy ---
**Author:** ![Noper](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/n/b487fb/32.png) [@Noper](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/Noper)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2023, 1:15pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/wanhua-50-room-brothel/234258/9 "2023-10-15T13:15:09Z")
It’s completely irrelevant to my point, but if “correcting” my rough estimate makes you feel good, I’m happy to help. ---
**Author:** ![Quesito](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Quesito](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/Quesito)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2023, 1:46pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/wanhua-50-room-brothel/234258/10 "2023-10-15T13:46:42Z")
> [@Noper](#): > > Hence my use of “or whenever.” I knew it was some time around then. My point was that it has been a red light district for a long time, and for much of its history a legal one. Legal? Was it regulate? Did they pay tax, NHI, etc? I don’t think it’s was “legal”. Lots human trafficking too. ---
**Author:** ![afterspivak](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/ccd318/32.png) [@afterspivak](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/afterspivak)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2023, 1:47pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/wanhua-50-room-brothel/234258/11 "2023-10-15T13:47:47Z")
Yes it was legal. Chen Shui-bian criminalized it. Not sure about NHI as I don’t think that system existed yet, or if it did it just got off the ground. Guy ---
**Author:** ![Noper](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/n/b487fb/32.png) [@Noper](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/Noper)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2023, 3:53pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/wanhua-50-room-brothel/234258/12 "2023-10-15T15:53:56Z")
> [@Quesito](#): > > > [@Noper](#): > > > > Hence my use of “or whenever.” I knew it was some time around then. My point was that it has been a red light district for a long time, and for much of its history a legal one. > > Legal? Was it regulate? Did they pay tax, NHI, etc? I don’t think it’s was “legal”. Lots human trafficking too. Yes, it was legal. Not hard to find information about this online if you weren’t around then. ---
**Author:** ![ChewDawg](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/user_avatar/tw.forumosa.com/chewdawg/32/174179_2.png) [@ChewDawg](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/ChewDawg)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2023, 3:56pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/wanhua-50-room-brothel/234258/13 "2023-10-15T15:56:29Z")
> [@afterspivak](#): > > Chen Shui-bian criminalized it. Isn’t that equivalent to syphilis going after swimmer’s itch? 🤡 ---
**Author:** ![P007](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/user_avatar/tw.forumosa.com/p007/32/223502_2.png) [@P007](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/P007)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2023, 11:30pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/wanhua-50-room-brothel/234258/14 "2023-10-15T23:30:00Z")
I lived right near this place when I first arrived in Taiwan. Everyone knew it was a brothel, the police, all the locals. It had been there for years. The girls would be out on the street during the day, then they’d all disappear before police patrolled, as if they were tipped off when it would happen.