Police have been making these busts for years. Choosing one poor dude and leaving the 400 other brothels next door alone. Its just for show. I think prostitution is too important to China, yet with the laws against porn and the high moral ground of the great chinese people , legalization is not happening anytime soon.

I think the only change your gonna see in the near future is a price hike.

I would guess it will be an industry in growth. "crackdown" is just the folks in Beijing saying "we care about the people" when in fact they don't. China is governed in a manner that is only to avoid the middle class revolting. The growing middle class will help drive prostitution.

given the demographic trends, they really have no choice but to appease this profession.

Healthy.  And by contrast, unhealthy.  Perhaps the difference is just of matter of economics.

In a culture where all men cheat, and where girls would trade anything for material possessions, the prevalence of prostitution cannot be challenged.

The police crackdown has made the industry dark and dangerous (especially for the girls involved), while what China really needs is gender equality, better access to higher education for women, and a stronger job market.

Prostitution is illegal in most countries. In first-world countries, prostitutes are (like everyone else) protected by the law from assault, rape, and extortion. In less-developed countries, prostitution tends not to be policed as much, and in some places is socially accepted. Neither situation exists in China.

The CCP always favours making things illegal, dark and dirty. Communism is not an ideology that promotes social analysis, self-analysis, honesty, acceptance or progress. Communist rule is all about suppressing things that cannot possibly be suppressed (see homosexuality, the internet, social change, Western culture, pornography, religion…) and punishing people instead of educating or enabling them.

The criminalisation of prostitution and demonization of prostitutes (while ignoring the 600 million men who patronise and necessitate this industry) merely makes the whole business a lot darker, dirtier and more dangerous. It’s great for Chinese police, of course. They love the opportunity to break into houses and punch women in the face. Or to drag prostitutes outside by their hair and film them kneeling on the pavement in their underwear. And now that the media has demonstrated what police are allowed to do, they get to extort brothels for free sex. This is what “moral authority” does to people. It gives the most revolting of bullies justification for their behaviour.

Due to being the primary target of police crackdowns, street prostitution (including red-light massage places) has become a lot less conspicuous. Meanwhile, the high end places (expensive hotels and spas) do not seem to have been affected. Who are the chief patrons of high-end prostitution? Party members.

The Communist Party loves exercising its power as “moral guardian” through legislation, restriction, punishment and propaganda. It will never give up its mistresses and massage girls, but can feel entirely justified in legislating against their use by the proletariat.

Things may get better some day, but standing in the way of progress are: Communist hypocrisy; the law; deeply rooted misogyny and gender inequality; poor job opportunities for women; a poor education system; and stupid, shallow, materialistic girls.