How did she cope?
"If it wasn't too weird, I'd just bear it for 15 minutes. There was one guy who liked to lick and suck on my high-heel shoes. The shoes were sometimes very dirty but he still wanted to do it"
What about the big ones?
"I was freaked out! I could only let a third of it inside me. I'd just close my legs really tight to make him feel better," she said.
According to Li-chun, 63, the oldest of the three former sex workers at the new Chunfenglou, the work might have been hard but it was never dangerous. "Since we had a license, we could always call the cops to help us deal with rude or violent customers. The police station was nearby. And if you shouted out for the police, everybody could hear you," she said.
"Besides, we were required to have health checkups once every two weeks. None of us ever got AIDS."
According to Wang, it was society, not the ladies, who gave the job a bad name. As a labor activist, Wang has been in the forefront of the struggle to ensure the rights of sex workers since then-mayor Chen Shui-bian ended licensed prostitution in 1997. She became famous last year when she supported the re-legalization of prostitution during her campaign for a Taipei City Council seat.
"When we were planning the next stage of our campaign to help sex workers, when we tried to help these sisters find new jobs or develop new skills, we realized that their former occupations should not be viewed as a stigma," Wang said. "Instead, these experiences ought to be seen as a rich resource and something good for their resumes."
"Real sex workers are here to communicate with the public that sex work is like any other job," Wang added.
Since its reopening on Sunday, the Chunfenglou has been crowded with all manner of visitors. There were three 50-something divorcees seeking advice from the sisters about their sexual frustration. There was the 60-year-old man who was there to revisit memories from 30 years ago.
But a memory is just a memory. The reality that faces these former prostitutes is still harsh. Illiterate and having never completed elementary school, they've had a hard time finding a job during the two-year economic downturn which has coincided with the abolition of legalized prostitution.
Li-chun was diagnosed with breast cancer two years ago and owes money for her treatment. Chia-mei has two children and is also in debt because of her mother's illness. And Ah Ying, though proud of her younger days, finds it hard to even pay her rent.
The three hope to make ends meet with their new jobs at the teahouse. Tea is only NT$30, and their homemade Chinese-herb vinegar (
The vinegar is a heath drink, used to improve circulation and combat fatigue. "In those days when we had lots of customers, we always drank this to maintain our health and energy," Ah Ying said.
As Ah Ying spoke, an old man peered through the door curiously, looking at the signboard of Chunfenglou and hesitating. Ah Ying called out to him immediately in a voice that would have been familiar to her guests 20 years ago: "Come on in my guest! Come take a look, and have some tea."
Chunfenglou is located at 5, Lane 194 Kueisuei St., Taipei, and is open Monday through Friday from 10am to 6pm, and every other Saturday from 2pm to 5:30pm. More information can be obtained by calling tel (02) 2553-6341.
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