Bargirls are hardly a recent phenomenon, if you search hard enough you can find references to serving wenches in literary works dating as far back as Chaucer in the 14th century. But, as far as I know, it wasn’t untill Richard Mason wrote The World of Suzie Wong in the 1950s that a birgirl took centre stage.
In doing so Suzie brought a new ingredient, oriental mystiqe, into the mix.
The Wanchai district, that was the centre of Suzie’s world in Hong Kong, has been largely demolished and replaced with concrete and glass skyscrapers though if you look hard enough there are still traces that remain. And there are still plenty of bars and clubs along the infamous Lockhart Road.
But Suzies legacy lives on from professional schoolgirls in Tokyo to the dangdut dancers hidden in clubs in the backstreets of Jakarta and Surabaya. Asia has more Suzie Wongs than ever.
This site celebrates those wonderfull ladies whose job it is to help us celebrate.
