Historic Site: The Brothels Without Prostitutes in Macau

By Kei Lam (thetravelphilosophy.blogspot.hk)

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 worths your visit if you are interested in history and culture; these well-preserved two-story buildings were built in the Qing dynasty, renowned for being a high-class red light district. From the outside, it might be a little bit hard to tell whether it was a brothel, hotel, restaurant, cinema or store, as they are basically of the same style - white walls with red windows and doors. Well...Perhaps you can do better than I did. Furthermore, what makes Rua da Felicidade more interesting is that the street is not simply a site of ruins, but very much alive with modern shops and restaurants and so forth. Unless you are a hopeless sanctimonious prude, you might enjoy exploring this cultural heritage spot when you are traveling in Macau.