Sex trade not moral but social problem

Chinese Film director Wang Quan'an has been detained on charges of soliciting sexual services. But he is not the first celebrity to face such charges. Other celebrities, including the actor Huang Haibo and microblogging celebrity Xue Manzi, have been punished for the same offense.

Although people are bemoaning the decadence prevalent in the entertainment industry, by far the bigger question is: Why does prostitution thrive in China even after more than 30 years of crackdown?

According to the Law of Evidence, courts can accept three categories of evidence in sex trade cases. It must be confirmed that the "parties" involved do not know each other, that the deal was done in cash and that direct sexual activity took place. Other evidence such as "someone reporting" the case, "condoms being found" at the scene, "confession" of suspects, or "suspects exposing each others' crime" cannot be accepted by the courts.