TWO WOMEN APPROACH A CAB WITH PASSENGERS IN SHANGHAI, 2003-05-31 (photo)

Two women approach a cab with foreign passengers along a popular bar district in Shanghai in the wee hours of May 31,2003. 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 May 31, 2003. REUTERS/Claro Cortes IV PP03060046 CC