acknowledgements
I am indebted to all the interviewees that I have come to know during this study, who shared with me their happiness and sadness, fun stories and witty tricks, which made the completion of this thesis possible. I am deeply grateful to the friends that opened the door of this research for me, especially Chen Xiaohang and Yeeshan Yang.
I want to express my greatest gratitude to my supervisor, Dr. Sik Ying Ho, whose stimulating suggestions and endless encouragement motivate me throughout this long journey. She is a remarkable scholar who always has great ideas and intellectual strength.
I am very glad that I have a whole team of good academic sisters who spark in me their insights. My sincere thanks go to Pei Yuxin, Wang Xiying, Carmen Ng, Hu Yiqian, Anna Ng and Yang Wen. They always stand besides me and share with me their passions to gender and sexuality studies.
I also would like to thank all the people in my department that helped me in my research work. They offered generous support and warm encouragement: Chen Honglin, Cheng Fucai, Bao Yan, Xiao Meng, Xu Jing, Esther Goh, Xiang Xiaoping, He Shanshan, Wang Yiyan, Zhong Xiaofang, Helen Goh, Pan Jiayan. They form an intellectual family that makes every family member’s journey no longer a lonely one.
Special thanks go to Stevi Jackson and Liu Jieyu. They offered creative suggestions to one of the chapters of this thesis when it appeared in their edited book East Asian Sexualities.
I would not have been able to start this research without the inspiration of my supervisor at the University of Bristol, Jackie West, who first introduced me O’Connell Davidson’s book that has been so important to my knowledge on prostitution. I also thank my supervisors at the LSE, Clare Hemmings and Henrietta Moore, who guided me through the very first part of this research.
I owe my deepest debts to my parents, especially my mother, who sustains me throughout and taught me how to be open-minded and optimistic even in the biggest difficulty, and who brought me pleasure and happiness in the last but most difficult part of my PhD journey.