WOMEN WAIT IN THE DARK AT A BAR DISTRICT IN SHANGHAI, 2003-06-01 (photo)

Women wait in the dark near a popular bar district in Shanghai June 1, 2003. Shanghai is rediscovering its uninhibited past thanks to more than a decade of growth and liberalisation. Today, commercial sex and drugs in Shanghai has been consigned to darkened bars, seedy karaoke lounges, massage parlours and a smattering of strip clubs. In a country where sex is still rarely discussed in the open, Shanghai stands apart by running a government-sanctioned sex hotline, sex museum and tolerating the screening of often racier cinema and music fare than other cities would permit. Picture taken June 1, 2003. TO MATCH FEATURE LIFE-CHINA-SEX REUTERS/Claro Cortes IV CC