For decades, some of the most famous images of Hong Kong nightlife featured seductive taxi dancers, known in Cantonese as My darling. Invariably dressed in figure-hugging cheongsam, these women were a major attraction of local ballrooms; the entire business model of these venues was based on their evening presence.

The taxi dancer system in a ballroom worked like this: a guest would buy a set of dance coupons, each valid for one set of dances. He would present a coupon to a partner of his choosing, who would then dance that particular number with him. Included in the price was the opportunity for a few minutes of conversation. When the music stopped, both the taxi dancer and the guest would leave the dance floor; if he wanted to dance the next number with her, another coupon had to be presented. Guests could sit down and chat after each set – if they wanted to – but when that happened, the ballroom management would usually insist that a “ladies’ drink” be purchased; usually this was an expensive mug of cold tea.

Many – but by no means all – were in fact prostitutes. Any “extras” that might have been negotiated in private with their dance partner always took place after hours and exclusively outside the venue. Others were office workers who liked to dress up for a night on the town, with the evening’s food and drinks paid for entirely by their dance partners (either directly or through various “extras” hidden in the price of admission to the dance hall) and – best of all – paid to dance.

Nevertheless, it was never easy for decent girls from good families (who, after all, had to take into account their reputation and possible marriageability) to take up this profession – or to give it up – once they had started.

Some My darling They made a point of outward “respectability” by going everywhere with their personal servant; the dance hostess was impeccably dressed in a shimmering cheongsam and their Cantonese amah wore a starched white blouse and black trousers.

The lucky few eventually became the concubine of a wealthy patron; at least one elderly Chinese entertainment mogul—who knows who—later married his favorite wife. My darlingOver the years, less fortunate taxi dancers eventually became nightclub managers themselves.

In the 1950s, there were numerous posh ballrooms in North Point, Causeway Bay and Wan Chai, which were frequented by Shanghai emigrants after the communist takeover in 1949. Some, such as the Tonnochy in Wan Chai and the Paramount in North Point, were internationally famous.

Tastes changed inexorably, disco fever took over, and in the 1980s many dance halls were shabby, run-down, deliberately darkened afternoon meeting places for ageing prostitutes and their haam sup lo (“old, salty men”) regulars.

Ballroom dancing is currently experiencing a revival and in various parts of Hong Kong, traditional ballroom dances offer professional dance partners of both sexes.

Much like bars, nightclubs and karaoke bars today, most dance halls were heavily populated by triad elements, both in their leisure time and as part of their usual business activities. From North Point to Kowloon City and Shek Tong Tsui to Yau Ma Tei, Hong Kong’s ballroom management, My darlingthe bar staff and even the dance band were (in some ways) controlled by gangsters. This was pretty much the same throughout the Chinese overseas world, from San Francisco to Singapore.

In recent years, dance hostesses have developed that perform more outdoors. They are a source of vocal public discontent, and their presence everywhere from Kwun Tong to Tuen Mun is made possible by lax enforcement of public nuisance regulations. These modern My darling are of course the notorious dai ma – the middle-aged “dancing ladies”, who all come from the mainland, play loud canned music and, for a fee, dance – usually in a provocative manner – with the local men, most of whom are also long past their youth.