These chinese floating cafe-chantants are called in cantonese fa t'ing a term most inappropriately translated by "flower-boat", as it rather means "gaudy boat" or "ornamental boat"; just as fa kai does not mean in canton "a flowery street" but an "illuminated street", a gay street. In fact, the word fa has more meanings in cantonese, than the original character would seem to imply. Date: 1894.
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