When walking along the Seine, it is easy to see how Baudelaire may have thought art was prostitution. A myriad of vendors sell identical sketches and paintings of prostitutes lounging in the nude, smoking cigarettes and laughing amongst fellow prostitutes and clients. In the Parisian neighborhood of Belleville, an abundance of Chinese women loiter the sidewalk in matching jackets and high-heeled boots, looking to make enough money to buy some food.
Donatien, an expert in the Chinese community in Paris, can best be described as the rock-star of Belleville. Picture a middle-aged French man strolling the streets of Belleville, hugging, high-fiving and kissing nearly every Chinese local he passes, all the while laughing and chatting in perfect Mandarin. Donatien first came to know these prostitutes during his Wednesday night French classes, which many of these women opt to take in hopes of improving their lives here in Paris. Chinese prostitution in Paris, began in the 90s.
While many Dongbei women hope to assimilate into the well-established Chinese community in Paris, they immediately face difficulties. Consequently, many turn to the streets for their living — and while they have received some media coverage, they are often portrayed as uneducated and of low social class in China.
In reality though, the majority come from the middle-class and migrate to France with entrepreneurial ambitions. The decision of the Dongbei women to migrate is often not out of economic necessity, but rather to pursue opportunities abroad. As uncovered by Florence Levy, a French sociologist specializing in Northern Chinese immigration to France, most Dongbei prostitutes had good jobs back home. The mere fact that they can afford to migrate— which costs roughly between , Euros—suggests that they come from good economic standings.
Meanwhile, there are approximately Chinese women working in Paris, primarily in Belleville. The Belleville neighborhood is is often the first place new Chinese immigrants go to find work. These Chinese women, who charge only dollars, are the cheapest prostitutes one can find in Paris, followed by the West African and Romanian immigrants.
