Fuzhou Road and the surrounding side streets and alleys emerged as the main centre of street prostitution in Shanghai during the 1890s, and by the 1920s was notorious as the city's largest 'red light' area (although traditionally Chinese indicated such areas not with red lights, but with green lanterns.

Much of the prostitution was controlled by criminal organisations such as the infamous 'Green Gang' run by Du Yuesheng and his henchmen.