Guangdong mulls new massage rules in sex trade cleanup

Guangdong province is expected to launch a new measure to ban "lights-off" services in locked rooms at massage parlors, as the province further pushes forward a crackdown on its notorious sex industry.

The draft new rule to strengthen controls on massage parlors in the region was open for public opinion after it was issued by the Legislative Affairs Office of Guangdong on Monday. Public feedback will continue until August 6.

According to the draft rule, massage services are prohibited in private rooms with locked doors or lights turned off. Separate saunas or bathrooms are also banned in massage rooms, nor can the rooms set up screens or any other kind of partition.

To better guarantee monitoring, the rule also requires transparent materials should be used for massage rooms with an area of no less than 0.25 square meters. Massage parlors that operate between 2 am and 8 am should report the identities of customers who stay overnight to local police. Moreover, employees are also not allowed to offer massage services away from the parlor.

The draft rule also includes clear regulations for law enforcement. At least two officers are required for an inspection and police officers are forbidden from operating any similar entertainment venues or becoming involved in similar businesses.

Business owners violating the new rules could be punished by fines of up to 30,000 yuan ($4,803) and employees who fail to meet the regulation would be fined 500 yuan. Police officers could face criminal punishment if they break the law.

Guangdong authorities have mulled implementing a regulation on massage parlors and other entertainment venues since March, when the public security department of Guangdong vowed to control the sex trade at its roots.

This came after a three-month crackdown on the sex trade in entertainment venues in Dongguan, a well-known entertainment hub in the province, was launched in February. A total of 3,033 people were arrested and 3,533 entertainment venues were found operating against regulations during the crackdown.

There were reportedly more than 250,000 prostitutes in Dongguan alone and sex business could generate up to 50 billion yuan a year.

The draft rule has in fact been in place in some areas and problems still exist, an anonymous police officer was quoted as saying by the Nandu Daily. "Some rooms will put up curtains behind the glass windows," the officer said.