Super-disturbing.  Particularly in the first contract where, on page 238, it lists all of the ailments that would justify a return of the product.  First of all, pregnancy is mentioned as one of these "great sicknesses" and also the really hilarious, "'stone-woman,' i.e, inability to have carnal intercourse with men."  What sort of inability would this be?  If women were willing to do this in order to leave China, even if prostitution played a different social role there, then they must have been escaping some bad situations.  Or else, they had been persuaded that much better conditions waited for them in America than actually did.  -Erin B.

Super-disturbing.  Particularly in the first contract where, on page 238, it lists all of the ailments that would justify a return of the product.  First of all, pregnancy is mentioned as one of these "great sicknesses" and also the really hilarious, "'stone-woman,' i.e, inability to have carnal intercourse with men."  What sort of inability would this be?  If women were willing to do this in order to leave China, even if prostitution played a different social role there, then they must have been escaping some bad situations.  Or else, they had been persuaded that much better conditions waited for them in America than actually did.  -Erin B.

"Super-disturbing" hits the mark. A few things I think are important to keep in mind:  inflation (that was a lot more money back then), the probability that these women did not know their options and what they were getting into, the character of the mistresses (I think it's safe to say that they lied through their teeth), and the differences between prostitution in the US and the prostitution in China (these women, not intending to get into this line of work, were therefore probably not trained as cultured courtesans, and I doubt American prostitution looked at all the same as in China). I also think that the editors gave us some important context in their short description of the document on page 232:  "...several "bills of sale" of Chinese women who "consented" to become prostitutes.." The editors, in their phrasing and use of quotation marks hint that these documents were  not fully presented to or understood by the women; in all probability, they were either forged or signed under very false pretenses.  --Sarah Smethurst

"Super-disturbing" hits the mark. A few things I think are important to keep in mind:  inflation (that was a lot more money back then), the probability that these women did not know their options and what they were getting into, the character of the mistresses (I think it's safe to say that they lied through their teeth), and the differences between prostitution in the US and the prostitution in China (these women, not intending to get into this line of work, were therefore probably not trained as cultured courtesans, and I doubt American prostitution looked at all the same as in China). I also think that the editors gave us some important context in their short description of the document on page 232:  "...several "bills of sale" of Chinese women who "consented" to become prostitutes.." '''The editors, in their phrasing and use of quotation marks hint that these documents were  not fully presented to or understood by the women;''' in all probability, they were either forged or signed under very false pretenses.  --Sarah Smethurst