Rua da Felicidade (福隆新街)
Before organized prostitution was banned in 1932, running brothels was a thriving business in Hong Kong. Rumor has it that the red light district in Macau absorbed some of these patrons of prostitutes from Hong Kong since it became flourishing after the ban. Prostitution has been one of the oldest profession in the world; it could be easily imagined that prehistoric humans have nothing but their very own bodies to sell in exchange for basic necessities. With the growing number of people receiving education, it does cast doubt on the practice to regard one's body and sensations as products/services at the level of a caveman to some extent.
Rua da Felicidade near Travessa Do Aterro Novo (福隆新街近新填巷)
Moral considerations aside, the group of historic buildings on the Rua da Felicidade (福隆新街) in Macau surely worths to be on your itnerary; these well-preserved two-story buildings were built in the Qing dynasty, renowned for being a high-class red light district with not only brothels but also club houses, hotels, restaurants, theaters and some local stores. Rua da Felicidade is to Macau, as Shek Tong Tsui is to Hong Kong. Unfortunately, the historic architecture at Shek Tong Tsui were not preserved by the Hong Kong government; the old grandiose red light district was efficiently and thoroughly wiped off like an unforgivable stain on an almost pristine white surface. The group of buildings on the Rua da Felicidade, on the other hand, managed to retain its existence and appearance in a good state.What makes Rua da Felicidade more interesting is that the street is not simply a site of ruins but also a very much alive area with current businesses. One of the must-see places on the Rua da Felicidade is the Sanva Hotel (新華大酒店). For some scenes of the critically acclaimed films, "2046" and "Eros" (The Hand), Wong Kar Wai used the beautifully built and preserved Rua da Felicidade as the sites for shooting. Indeed, the Sanva Hotel reeks of the nostalgic style of the colonial era in Macau, which has understandably been a popular site for shooting filmic works set in that era. According to the hotel, it was originally a club house established circa 1870s before revitalizing as the Sanva Hotel at the start of the 20th century. Another recommended spot on the Rua da Felicidade is a Portuguese restaurant with a very Chinese-styled name - Fat Siu Lau (佛笑樓) which was opened in 1903. As a former Portuguese colony, the Portuguese cuisine was to serve government officials and business tycoons, especially for the Portuguese. Situated at the high-class red light district, Fat Siu Lau was one of the famous spot for these high-end customers to meet in the past.
Prostitution is more of a relativistic issue depending on the level of acceptance of the society and culture, despite its long history of being condemned as a debauched occupation. The central question also lies in what essentially constitutes homosapiens. Through the temporal displacement, however, the distance separates spectators from the text (in this case, architecture) which makes their moral judgment more objective and universal. The Prostitutes on the Rua da Felicidade might be long gone, but their cultural and philosophical existence remains in the form of historic architecture.
References:
http://sanvahotel.com/gallery.html