Sing-song girls
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sing-song girls (also known as flower girls) are learned courtesans in Shanghai during the late 19th and early 20th century. Sing-song girls are trained from childhood to entertain wealthy male clients through companionship, singing and dancing in special sing-song houses. They may or may not provide sexual services, but many do, though they see themselves as lovers and not prostitutes. Sing-song girls have no distinctive costume or make-up, they often wear the same clothing (typically, the Shanghai cheongsam) as upper-class Chinese women. Often sing-song girls have one or several male sponsors who may or may not be married, and rely on these sponsors to pay off family or personal debt and to sustain their high standards of living. Many sing-song girls end up marrying their sponsors and start a free life.
Sing-song girls are popularized in the 1892 fictional masterpiece by Han Bangqing called Sing-song girls of Shanghai (also known as Flowers of Shanghai).
