I went to Shanghai 2 weeks ago for a couple days vacation. First let me say I was very impressed with the city. Streets clean, people well-dressed, subway lines, nice museums, cheap shopping, etc. Gone are the short, skinny, buck-teeth women in Mao Jackets - the average Chinese woman on the street looked pretty good to me [I live in South Korea].
I couldn't believe the number of young girls who tried to pick me up on the Nanjing Road mall. Usually there was only one to start, but after she thought she had me hooked, then her girlfriend would show up. Many of them wanted me to buy them food. One had balls and walked up to me in KFC and said she would take "Combo Meal Number 5" and I didn't even know her! Anyways, I was very good about avoiding this game the first couple days I was there. The second night late a somewhat plain and older girl walked up to me and shyly said in broken English that she was "Lily from Xian" and wanted to give me a massage. As I think back on it now she probably would have given me a good night in the sack for a reasonable amount of money plus a good meal.
A Chinese guy at the hotel told me to take a taxi to the Xin Tian Di area, and I liked it. 3-4 bars with live bands. I avoided the girls outside the clubs. Went to Paulaner's first, and thought the RMB 600 for a small draft beer was high. Several cuties at the bar. The girls were not predatory, so I don't know if they were pick-up girls or not. Anyways, then I walked to another place, but I soon found out that everything in that complex shut down about midnight. You definitely have to hit that area early. So, after a couple more beers at a nearby Chinese club, I found a taxi back to my hotel.
Upon arrival I saw the lobby bar was closed, so I decided to walk down the street to a local tavern I had been to before. On the way, a massage girl gave me a 10% discount coupon. The local bar was closed, so I figured I would check out the massage parlor, not knowing if I would get FS or not. But on the way back this 30-something Chinese lady walked by me and smiled, so I said Nee Hao, and we stopped and talked. I believed her that she just got off work, as she wasn't dressed that well and had some bags of food with her. She said we could have a beer and talk. I had drank enough beer that night so my guard was down. I took a chance that I might get lucky without a scam. Well, we walked into another hotel and she asks them where the bar is, and we ride up to the 4th floor. It was a KTV. My gut told me not to do it, as I've paid hefty bills in these places in Japan and Korea, but the booze clouded my judgment, or my dick was telling me I hadn't been laid for 3 days, I'm not sure which. Anyways, I was told it would cost RMB 100 per hour plus drinks. I said okay. Then she said she would call her girlfriend, who showed up quickly. A real knock-out. But she starts ordering all sorts of drinks and snacks, and could see the bill going up. So I told the one employee who spoke some English to tell me when the first hour was up. At that time I made them get out of the room so I could pay the bill. The first girl had said she would come to my hotel room. But I snapped when the KTV manager presented me with a bill for about USD $150. I got really pissed off. The girls said nothing to help me, but stood near the elevator. Finally, I had no choice but to pull out my credit card and pay it. On the way out I was furious with the girls and told them I was going back to my hotel room alone. Now, maybe that was a mistake, and I should have tried to salvaged something with the one chick. The other one was too "fast" for me, but I'm sure a younger guy with a high expense account could handle her.
Next trip to China I think I will avoid the freelance scene altogether and stick to the massage parlors and whore houses reported on this site and from other reliable sources.
Thomas