In this book, Margaret Boittin uses prostitution as a lens to investigate how law operates in everyday life and how the state and society interact in China. Drawing on ethnographic observations, interviews, surveys and Boittin’s earlier experience as an English school teacher, the book identifies the coexistence of two systems of justice in China’s authoritarian context: one for “ordinary issues” and one for political challenges. While sex work is denounced as illegal, it is treated as an ordinary problem, and local police officers and health officials often balance the regulation of prostitution with state priorities, including order maintenance, public health and economic growth. Their pragmatic, off-the-book interventions directly impact the daily lives of sex workers – one of society’s most marginalized groups, as Boittin puts it. Informed by the study’s findings, Boittin proposes legalizing prostitution but notes that this is not the book’s focus, nor is such a proposal currently practical in the country’s political climate.

The book brings to light two major disconnects in the regulation of prostitution in China: first, the gap between written law and its actual implementation; second, the divergence between international policy models advanced by transnational organizations and the complexities of local contexts. Despite structural constraints, state actors on the ground, as Boittin observes, must fulfil responsibilities – often with creative, survival-driven strategies. Both sex workers and these officials are, in Boittin’s view, weak parties facing a powerful state. The global public health community has influenced domestic prostitution policies and practices but often accepts the state’s portrayal of reality rather than on-the-ground truths, which can worsen conditions for sex workers. Boittin argues that global programmes grounded in individual rights do not inherently align with the nature of authoritarian regimes.

Following the introduction, which outlines the main elements, the book is divided into three parts, focusing on different aspects of prostitution, policy responses and local implementation practices. In part one, chapter two traces the history of sex work regulation in China from the imperial era to the present, noting the Communist regime’s enduring prohibition stance. Chapter three explores contemporary policy approaches through law enforcement, public health and taxation of entertainment industry – encompassing venues that provide sex services, revealing a multidimensional and often contradictory regulatory framework. Part two examines the experiences of sex workers in three tiers – low-tier (street-based and small brothel workers), middle-tier (hostesses) and top-tier (mistresses or “second wives”). Chapters four to six each begin with a “scene-setting” vignette, followed by details of daily life, health issues and the perspectives of the women, along with the judgements of outsider observers. Chapter seven highlights commonalities across the tiers, noting that sex workers often emphasize the benefits of prostitution to the economy, society and the state.

Part three covers the experiences of local state actors managing prostitution. Chapter eight reveals that street-level law enforcement disproportionately targets low-tier sex workers, with some officers engaging in abusive practices. Chapter nine presents the vulnerability of frontline police officers within China’s bureaucratic system and their reliance on pragmatic, often unofficial, enforcement strategies. The next two chapters shift to the public health dimension. Chapter ten critiques the influence of transnational organizations, acknowledging their limited engagement with the practical realities of implementing international good practices in China’s domestic public health system. Chapter 11 examines the challenges facing street-level health officials, who, as a weaker party in the state hierarchy, struggle to apply policies, including deviations from formal rules and cases of abuse. These chapters expose the gap between global ideals and local constraints, with detrimental consequences for sex workers. Chapter 12, the conclusion, underscores the importance of observing everyday interactions between citizens and state representatives to uncover nuanced truths often obscured by broader narratives. The book concludes with practical suggestions and a deep empathy for the “multifaceted individuals” who sell sex, as Boittin describes them.

The book uses “tiers” as a framework to study both the experiences of women in sex work and the everyday practices of state actors who regulate them. Low-tier sex workers – typically older, less educated rural migrants – endure harsh conditions, frequent policing and exclusion from public health initiatives. They often hold negative views of the state and their work but find solidarity in shared hardship. Middle-tier sex workers – hostesses – experience slightly better environments and more autonomy, but their work involves intense competition and social stigma. Overall, they tend to favour legalization. Top-tier sex workers lead relatively comfortable, secure lives but depend entirely on a man. As Boittin witnesses, these women largely avoid state intervention. Although subject to harsh public judgement, they often see their work – and themselves – more positively and with greater agency.

In examining street-level regulation and its impact on women in the sex trade, the book illustrates how low-tier sex workers bear the brunt of law enforcement while being excluded from much-needed health interventions. Hostesses navigate competing pressures, benefiting – according to Boittin – from some cooperation between police and the entertainment industry, which fosters a semi-tolerant workplace. Elite sex workers, despite their comfort, remain vulnerable when high-profile clients become targets of corruption probes, with their mistresses considered active participants. These comparisons underline a central argument of the book: female sex workers, especially those at the bottom, are among the most vulnerable in society, given the nature of state–society relations. The book reveals political realities that not only shape the sex industry and individuals’ lives within it but also produce potentially troubling consequences when formal rules are bypassed in public governance.

The book would benefit from a fuller examination of clients’ perspectives, which are largely inferred rather than directly examined. Incorporating these voices would enrich the analysis of female sex workers’ experiences and provide a more accurate picture of how prostitution is managed in practice. Despite this minor shortcoming, this monograph is a significant and insightful contribution to the literature on prostitution regulation, law enforcement, public health and women’s rights. It will be a valuable source for scholars in law, political science, sociology and China studies, as well as for anyone interested in the governance of sex work.