Towards the end of the Chinese lunar year, Chinatown is crowded with people and stalls selling festive goods.
Everyone there is trying to make as much money as they can during this festive period, even the Chinese prostitutes in the area are "working hard".

They have now started looking for customers along the streets even before it gets dark, in the hope of earning a little more money before returning to their hometowns to celebrate the New Year.

Shin Min Daily News readers told the Chinese paper that these prostitutes from China were seen along the overhead bridge garden in Chinatown in the afternoon soliciting men.

Throughout the three hours that the photographer was there, the women would smile and even wave, acknowledging the reporter's presence. They often appear in pairs and upon finding their "quarry", would start chatting the men up.

According to reports from Shin Ming Daily News, these China prostitutes have reduced their fees from the original $70-$80 to a mere $50. The reporter also overheard one woman asking her customer to look her up at the overhead bridge. Some people have mentioned that they are appearing earlier than ever - sometimes as early as one in the afternoon.

These women are believed to have arrived in Singapore on tourist visas, and thus have a limited two to three weeks to 'earn as much as they can' before returning to China.

Because they want to have a little more dough for the festive season, the women are "starting work" earlier than ever, in the hopes that they are able to service more customers within a day.

A shopkeeper complained that these China prostitutes are bad for his business. "Some married men tend to stay away from this area when they see so many prostitutes around, and this more or less affects our business."

Original report first published in Shin Min Daily News on Jan 15, 2008