Prostitution Prostitution laws in China中国
In mainland China both selling and buying sex are prohibited. Under the Public Security Administration Punishments Law, as revised on 27 June 2025 and in force since 1 January 2026, the police may detain anyone who sells or buys sex for 10 to 15 days and fine them up to 5,000 yuan (up to 5 days or 1,000 yuan in minor cases); soliciting in public carries up to 5 days or 1,000 yuan. The revision also requires records of such public-order violations to be sealed. "Custody and education" (收容教育), a form of administrative detention for people who sold or bought sex, was abolished from 29 December 2019. Organising or forcing prostitution carries 5 to 10 years and up to life, and inducing, harbouring or introducing prostitution up to 5 years or more under the Criminal Law; posting prostitution solicitation information online can be prosecuted as illegal use of an information network.
Legal model
Selling and buying prohibited. Selling sex is an offence (criminal or administrative), whether or not buying is.
Selling and buying sex are both administrative offences under the Public Security Administration Punishments Law, punished by the police with detention and fines rather than by the courts. Organising, forcing, inducing, harbouring and introducing prostitution are crimes under the Criminal Law. This entry covers mainland China; Hong Kong and Macau have their own legal systems and separate entries.[1][2]
At a glance
| Question | Status | In short |
|---|---|---|
| Selling sexual services | Illegal Administrative offence | Selling sex is punished with 10 to 15 days' administrative detention and an optional fine of up to 5,000 yuan; in minor cases up to 5 days or a fine of up to 1,000 yuan. Soliciting customers in a public place carries up to 5 days or 1,000 yuan. Knowingly selling sex while having a serious sexually transmitted disease is a crime (up to 5 years).[1][2][3] |
| Buying sexual services | Illegal Administrative offence | Buying sex (嫖娼) is punished under the same article as selling: 10 to 15 days' administrative detention and an optional fine of up to 5,000 yuan, or up to 5 days or 1,000 yuan in minor cases.[1] |
| Brothels and managed venues | Illegal Criminal offence | Running a place where others sell sex is the crime of harbouring (容留) prostitution, or organising prostitution where three or more people are managed or controlled. Staff of hotels, restaurants, entertainment venues and taxi firms who use their business for prostitution are punished under the same articles, the person in charge more severely.[1][2][4] |
| Third parties profiting (procuring / pimping) | Illegal Criminal offence | Organising or forcing others into prostitution carries 5 to 10 years and, in serious cases, 10 years to life; assisting an organiser, for example by recruiting or transporting people, up to 5 years (5 to 10 if serious). Inducing, harbouring or introducing others into prostitution carries up to 5 years, or 5 years and more if serious, always with a fine. Minor cases are administrative offences.[1][2][4] |
| Advertising sexual services | Illegal Criminal offence | Publishing prostitution solicitation information online (招嫖违法信息) is prosecuted, in serious cases, as illegal use of an information network (up to 3 years), or as the more heavily punished crime of introducing prostitution where that is also made out. Spreading obscene information online is also an administrative offence.[1][2][4] |
The law in detail
Selling sexual services
Selling sex is punished with 10 to 15 days' administrative detention and an optional fine of up to 5,000 yuan; in minor cases up to 5 days or a fine of up to 1,000 yuan. Soliciting customers in a public place carries up to 5 days or 1,000 yuan. Knowingly selling sex while having a serious sexually transmitted disease is a crime (up to 5 years).[1][2][3]
Article 78 of the revised law: "卖淫、嫖娼的，处十日以上十五日以下拘留，可以并处五千元以下罚款；情节较轻的，处五日以下拘留或者一千元以下罚款。在公共场所拉客招嫖的，处五日以下拘留或者一千元以下罚款。" Before 2026 the same rule was Article 66 of the 2005 law, with a lower fine (500 yuan) in minor cases. Under Article 136 of the revised law, records of violations of public-security administration must be sealed and not provided or disclosed except to state organs handling cases or units with a legal basis for inquiry. Criminal Law Article 360 covers selling or buying sex while knowingly having syphilis, gonorrhoea or another serious STI.
Checked 30 October 2026
Buying sexual services
Buying sex (嫖娼) is punished under the same article as selling: 10 to 15 days' administrative detention and an optional fine of up to 5,000 yuan, or up to 5 days or 1,000 yuan in minor cases.[1]
Checked 30 October 2026
Brothels and managed venues
Running a place where others sell sex is the crime of harbouring (容留) prostitution, or organising prostitution where three or more people are managed or controlled. Staff of hotels, restaurants, entertainment venues and taxi firms who use their business for prostitution are punished under the same articles, the person in charge more severely.[1][2][4]
Criminal Law Articles 358, 359 and 361. Under the 2017 judicial interpretation of the Supreme People's Court and Supreme People's Procuratorate (法释〔2017〕13号), recruiting, hiring or gathering people and managing or controlling the prostitution of three or more is "organising prostitution", whether or not there is a fixed venue. Minor cases of harbouring are handled administratively under Article 79 of the Public Security Administration Punishments Law (10 to 15 days and up to 5,000 yuan).
Checked 30 October 2026
Third parties profiting (procuring / pimping)
Organising or forcing others into prostitution carries 5 to 10 years and, in serious cases, 10 years to life; assisting an organiser, for example by recruiting or transporting people, up to 5 years (5 to 10 if serious). Inducing, harbouring or introducing others into prostitution carries up to 5 years, or 5 years and more if serious, always with a fine. Minor cases are administrative offences.[1][2][4]
Under the 2017 judicial interpretation, inducing anyone, or harbouring or introducing two or more people, or obtaining 10,000 yuan or more, meets the threshold for prosecution under Article 359; profit motive is not required. Fines must be at least twice the criminal proceeds. Article 79 of the Public Security Administration Punishments Law covers inducing, harbouring or introducing prostitution below the criminal threshold.
Checked 30 October 2026
Advertising sexual services
Publishing prostitution solicitation information online (招嫖违法信息) is prosecuted, in serious cases, as illegal use of an information network (up to 3 years), or as the more heavily punished crime of introducing prostitution where that is also made out. Spreading obscene information online is also an administrative offence.[1][2][4]
The 2017 judicial interpretation (Article 8) directs that "利用信息网络发布招嫖违法信息，情节严重的" be punished under Criminal Law Article 287-1, which also covers setting up websites or communication groups for illegal activities and applies to organisations. Article 80 of the Public Security Administration Punishments Law separately punishes spreading obscene information through information networks or telephones (10 to 15 days and up to 5,000 yuan).
Checked 30 October 2026
Key legislation
| Law | What it does here | In force |
|---|---|---|
| 中华人民共和国治安管理处罚法（2025年6月27日修订） Public Security Administration Punishments Law of the People's Republic of China (revised 2025) 第七十八条 · 第七十九条 · 第八十条 · 第一百三十六条 | Administrative detention and fines for selling and buying sex, public soliciting, and minor cases of inducing, harbouring or introducing prostitution; sealing of violation records.[1] | 1 January 2026 |
| 中华人民共和国刑法 Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China 第二百八十七条之一 · 第三百五十八条–第三百六十二条 | Chapter VI, Section 8 criminalises organising, forcing, assisting, inducing, harbouring and introducing prostitution; Article 287-1 covers illegal use of information networks.[2] | |
| 最高人民法院 最高人民检察院关于办理组织、强迫、引诱、容留、介绍卖淫刑事案件适用法律若干问题的解释（法释〔2017〕13号） Interpretation of the Supreme People's Court and Supreme People's Procuratorate on Criminal Cases of Organising, Forcing, Inducing, Harbouring and Introducing Prostitution (Fa Shi [2017] No. 13) | Sets thresholds for prosecution and for serious cases, and directs that online prostitution solicitation be prosecuted under Article 287-1.[4] | 25 July 2017 |
Timeline
- 25 July 2017Judicial interpretation on prostitution crimes (Fa Shi [2017] No. 13) takes effect, including the rule on posting prostitution information online.[4]
- 29 December 2019NPC Standing Committee decision abolishing "custody and education" takes effect: Article 4(2) and (4) of the Standing Committee's earlier decision on strictly prohibiting prostitution are repealed and people then held are released.[3]
- 27 June 2025Revised Public Security Administration Punishments Law adopted (Presidential Order No. 49); the prostitution provisions move to Articles 78–79.[1]
- 1 January 2026Revised Public Security Administration Punishments Law takes effect, raising the fine for minor cases of selling or buying sex to up to 1,000 yuan and requiring violation records to be sealed.[1][3]
Sources
- 中华人民共和国治安管理处罚法（2025年6月27日修订） (Public Security Administration Punishments Law (revised 27 June 2025)). 人民网 (People's Daily Online), official text released by Xinhua, 27 June 2025. legislation · accessed 30 October 2026
- 中华人民共和国刑法 (Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China (consolidated)). 国家税务总局税收法规库 (State Taxation Administration law database). legislation · accessed 30 October 2026
- 全国人大常委会通过废止有关收容教育法律规定和制度的决定 (NPC Standing Committee adopts decision abolishing the legal provisions and system of custody and education). 新华网 (Xinhua), 28 December 2019. government · accessed 30 October 2026
- 最高人民法院 最高人民检察院关于办理组织、强迫、引诱、容留、介绍卖淫刑事案件适用法律若干问题的解释（法释〔2017〕13号） (SPC and SPP Interpretation on criminal cases of organising, forcing, inducing, harbouring and introducing prostitution). 最高人民法院 (Supreme People's Court), 21 July 2017. case law · accessed 30 October 2026