An all-out three-month campaign against the sex trade in Guangdong province will be launched by authorities  following a recent media expose on widespread prostitution in hotels and massage parlors in the province's industrial and entertainment city of Dongguan.

The city's 1,948 entertainment venues offering sex services will be the targets of the Guangdong authorities in the crackdown, according to Li Chunsheng, the province's vice-governor and director of its Public Security Department. Li made this statement during a news conference on TV on Monday.

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"Local police officers who are found protecting the sex industry or who organize sexual services will be severely punished," Li warned.

The announcement of the province's crackdown on prostitution was in response to a report made by China Central Television on Sunday about the booming sex business in Dongguan.

Dongguan, which is one of China's most important industrial hubs, is also known for luxurious casinos, numerous massage parlors, bath centers and brothels.

According to reports from the media, Dongguan's actively thriving sex industry is highly profitable and employs more than 300,000 people. The city has, in fact, earned the title "China's sex capital.

On Monday, the first day of the crackdown, 12 entertainment establishments promoting prostitution and other sex-related services were closed and 162 people rounded up for investigation, reported the authorities.

In addition, eight police officers were suspended and will undergo investigation in connection with the ongoing crackdown. Police stations in Dongguan's five townships are also being questioned for not responding to reports given to them regarding prostitution in certain entertainment establishments.

The crackdown has the support of Hu Chunhua, Party chief of Guangdong, who emphasized the need to have a close investigation of the sex industry in Dongguan and in the rest of the province.