China’s ‘boys’ love’ dramas dance around LGBTQ censors

Video and film adaptations of web novels about same-sex couples are being lapped up by women and propelling actors to stardom

Although China decriminalised homosexuality in 1997, same-sex marriage is illegal and taboo trails LGBTQ issues

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In Word of Honour, a blockbusting adventure from video platform Youku, two handsome martial arts heroes develop a close bond. Photo: Weibo

Published: 11:56am, 28 May 2021Updated: 11:56am, 28 May 2021

Two men exchange longing glances, a frisson of sexual tension in an on-screen relationship which must otherwise go unspoken – China’s “boys’ love” phenomenon is gripping video streamers, slipping by censors of LGBTQ themes with their subtlety.

The genre rose to prominence in 2018, as adaptations of web novels about same-sex couples, or dangaiju, were increasingly picked up by on-demand services, propelling Chinese actors to stardom.

In Word of Honour, a blockbusting adventure from video platform Youku, two handsome martial arts heroes develop a close bond, but refer to each other only as “brothers” as the heavily insinuated romance between protagonists fails to emerge.

Although China decriminalised homosexuality in 1997, same-sex marriage is illegal and taboo trails LGBTQ issues.

The community is facing renewed pressure, with web content censored and depictions of gay romance in films banned.

A fan of Chinese Word of Honor poses for a picture next to a life-size cut-out of one of its stars. Photo: AFP

Yet “boys’ love” adaptations are booming, screened by streaming giants like Youku and Tencent Video, mostly fuelled by demand from straight women and their growing interest in a more delicate form of masculinity.

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