Chinese prostitution policies from 1949 to 2024 : an analysis from the perspectives of Marxism, political economy, cultural citizenship, and feminism

Existing scholarship on Chinese prostitution control largely focuses on limited historical periods, legal regulations, or single theoretical perspectives, leaving a gap in understanding how Chinese prostitution policies have evolved from a historical perspective across the entire post-1949 era. This study aims to fill this gap by addressing four research questions: (a) What were the main changes in Chinese prostitution policies from 1949 to 2024? (b) How far can the four approaches (Marxism, political economy, cultural citizenship, feminism) effectively explain the nature of Chinese prostitution policies in different periods? (c) What are the main factors shaping Chinese prostitution policies in different periods? and (d) What social policies and welfare practices need to be adopted to promote the well-being of Chinese prostitutes? The study employs four approaches to systematically explain the driving factors that have shaped China’s policies on prostitution at different times. Documentary analysis is employed to explore diverse social contexts and policy content using a broad range of primary and secondary sources, including prostitution laws and central government policies, government reports, official and institutional data, newspapers, research reports, biographies, academic literature, etc. As a historically and systematically conducted policy analysis, the research findings reveal that despite the Chinese government’s longstanding opposition to prostitution, prostitution policies have been adjusted over time in response to changing social contexts. The study thus provides two major contributions. First, it comprehensively examines the transformation of the Chinese prostitution policy from 1949 to 2024. Second, it demonstrates that prostitution policy is shaped by a complex interplay of political, economic, cultural, and social factors, rather than by any single driving force. Accordingly, the study argues that no single theoretical approach among the four employed-Marxism, political economy, cultural citizenship, and feminism-can fully account for the evolution and nature of prostitution policies across all periods; each approach highlights only specific aspects of policy development at particular stages. Furthermore, while acknowledging that the living conditions of prostitutes in China are shaped by the intersection of political, economic, and cultural factors, this study highlights that the current restrictions on non-governmental organisations and feminist grassroots initiatives may further limit the scarce rights protection and social support available to them. It therefore emphasises the need for a mechanism to safeguard prostitutes’ rights, including collaboration between social organisations and official institutions. Inclusive policymaking is also crucial, involving both service users and providers (prostitutes and workers of nongovernmental organisations) in policy development, so that their lived experiences inform appropriate services to improve the well-being of Chinese prostitutes.