Meaning of '风月场所'?

[calibre2001]

Google gives it as 'temptress moon' whereas other searches so far revolve around dodgy love affairs, vice activities and such. But I'm still not sure what the phrase itself really refers to. Hope you people can help. Thanks!

[Ian_Lee]

Red Light District.

I suppose the term first derived from the activity of 风花雪月-- means BS or killing time like composing poem or singing or ......by those aristocrats and scholar-turned mandarins in the brothels during Ming and Qing and early ROC period. By that time, frequenting a brothel is a high-class activity. After socializing (and soliciting enought money) for weeks or even months, then those girls in the brothels might really give you a chance to sleep with them.

Of course, now the industry has undergone dramatic transformation. But somehow the Red Light district is still being labelled (by some) as 风月场所.

[calibre2001]

Thanks!

[adrianlondon]

My partner says that it doesn't usually mean the whole "district" - it tends to refer just to one den of vice; one strip club or whatever. I think 红灯区, despite looking dodgily literal, is used to mean Red Light District.

[Ian_Lee]

场所 refers to premises. You are right that this term usually means one or more dens (not necessarily just one since there is ambiguity in Chinese regarding singular/plural).

However, 红灯区 is just a translation of Red Light District which is not an authentic Chinese term.

[Millie]

It differs from 红灯区。It means more that.In ancient china,it always was connected to the

romantic story between the male poets and the female beautiful geisha.It does not aim at the district.Now,its meaning more colse to 红灯区，as the old romantic culture disappears.