Prostitutes and ‘kept women’ in Victorian Hong Kong – and how they shaped its character
- An excerpt from Vaudine England’s new book reveals how relationships between foreigners and Chinese mistresses played a part in moulding the city’s personality
“Honey at Mrs Randall’s – a small quantity of good Honey in small jars, also Gin, Brandy, Sherry, Port, Champagne, Claret, Bottled Beer, Porter etc etc. Lyndhurst Terrace, Victoria.”
For “honey” in this advert from June 12, 1851, read sex. Madame Randall had been an actress in Australia before she came to Hong Kong. Her advertisement in the city’s newspapers hinted at a rich, bittersweet world of diverse pleasures.
She was advertising her brothel, which acquired fame for its impressive client list, and Mrs Randall’s highly effective means of bill collection. She would send messengers to the offices of this or that judge or merchant, where the mere mention of the name Mrs Randall ensured instant compliance to quell the “gup”. For “gup”, read gossip.
Hong Kong was rapidly absorbing people from all over the world, drawn by the sweet sharp tang of opportunity. It quickly learned how to satisfy all tastes.
For the arrivals who were averse to any hint of mingling with other races, establishments such as the British Hotel, managed by Henry Winiberg, offered a respectable option, particularly if you were unable to afford or enter the members-only (and mostly British) Club House. But the real life of Hong Kong was elsewhere.