Visiting The Past

Most of Storyville, the red-light district that existed along Basin Street near the French Quarter between 1897 and 1917, was torn down to make way for the Iberville public housing development before World War II. However, most of Iberville’s large brick buildings are now being demolished, allowing archaeologists and other scholars to take another look at Storyville’s history.

The district of bars and brothels took its name from Alderman Sidney Story, sponsor of an 1897 ordinance that limited prostitution to the area between North Robertson and Basin streets, and from Iberville to St. Louis streets.

The Ancient China Sex Culture Museum, at 1133 Wuding Road, Shanghai, is the only private museum of the kind in China. It has been a point of controversy ever since its establishment in September 1999. Some people are opposed to its exhibits, considering them distasteful and unhealthy, while others believe that they form part of ancient Chinese civilization, and reflect objectively humankind¡¯s attitude towards sex. For a time the museum seemed likely to close down, but as people are now more aware of the cultural value of ancient sexual practices, the museum has fortunately met with development opportunities, and a branch has opened in Zhejiang¡¯s Hangzhou.