Beginning in the early 1850 san Francisco began to see it’s first drastic immigration of Chinese. Much of the reasons for Chinese immigration was to escape many of the atrocities that were happening in their home land along with the hope of a better life in California. Women were scarce in California , and aspiring entrepreneurs who came to California demanded these Chinese prostitutes services. Prostitutes of the time maintained some control over their destiny. Some took proposals of marriage of weaklthy suitors, or disappeared into the western wilderness.