The Engaged Spectator: Reading BL Novels in Contemporary China

Calling for a Hero: The Displacement of the Nezha Archetypal Image from Chinese Animated Film Nezha Naohai (1979) to New Gods: Nezha Reborn (2021)

“…This is the first time the Nezha story has developed a male-female intimacy, evidently catering to a modern preference, especially among young audiences, for a 'male-female love story,' demonstrating the necessary displacement of the original Nezha image to fit a modern narrative. In this way, contrary to Nezha (2019) there is no development of a queerbaiting reading in the encounters between characters like Aobing and Nezha, whose deviated subtexts were interpreted as a BL (boys' love) story (Lin 2020). Li Yunxiang and Su Junchu's relationship is perceived through a male gaze.…”

Masculinity in crisis? Reticent / han-xu politics against danmei and male effeminacy

“…Although the danmei genre has long been considered different from real-life gay experiences due to its particular emphasis on women's fantasy, the relationship between queer groups and the danmei subculture is more complicated. Scholars have demonstrated that the Chinese danmei subculture has had to resist its potential to support and speak for queer groups (Lin, 2020), while some popular danmei novel writers are allegedly gay men, yet circumvent realistic issues faced by sexual minority groups such as homophobia and AIDS panic. 7 Researchers with optimistic views believe that the low threshold of online publishing and relative freedom of cyberspace have provided an opportunity for young Chinese women to express their desires and aspirations, particularly in danmei subcultural communities (Yang and Xu, 2015), given the invisibility of 'real' queer stories in mainstream media.…”