Hongwei Bao, "Contemporary Chinese Queer Performance" (Routledge, 2022)
Sep 18, 2023
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Dr. Hongwei Bao discusses queer performance in contemporary China, emphasizing its role in identity and community formation. Topics include challenges faced by LGBTQ individuals in China, artistic activism, film portrayals, and cultural activism through plays. The conversation also touches on the film 'East Palace, West Palace' and its controversy, as well as Chinese artists' response to the pandemic through online performances.
Queer performance in contemporary China challenges heteronormative narratives through music, film, and theater.
Interpreting 'queer' in Chinese society involves diverse meanings and resistance against social norms.
Deep dives
Exploring Queer Studies in China
Dr. Hongwei Bao discusses his journey into queer studies in China, highlighting personal experiences that shaped his interest. From facing challenges accepting his gay identity to finding inspiration in queer scholars, he delves into his emotional and academic evolution. His background at Peking University and interactions with queer activists and academics steered him towards queer theater and performance research.
Interpreting Queer in Chinese Society
Dr. Hongwei Bao delves into the complexity of interpreting 'queer' in Chinese society, emphasizing varied meanings and understandings attached to the term. By examining Zheng Han's photography, he contrasts academic views with societal perspectives, showcasing divergences in queer representation. He reveals how the concept of 'queer' extends beyond identity labels into a lifestyle that challenges social norms and embraces resistance.
Impact of Art and Culture on Queer Activism in China
Dr. Hongwei Bao explores the role of art and culture in queer activism within China, focusing on the Beijing Queer Chorus as a case study. By emphasizing cultural initiatives like the chorus's performances and their advocacy through music, he highlights a unique form of activism. Through subtle yet powerful means, these artistic expressions aim to foster understanding, communication, and acceptance of LGBTQ+ communities in a context where overt activism faces challenges.
In Contemporary Chinese Queer Performance (Routledge, 2022), Hongwei Bao analyses queer theatre and performance in contemporary China. Boa documents various forms of queer performance - including music, film, theatre, and political activism - in the first two decades of the twenty first century. In doing so, Bao argues for the importance of performance for queer identity and community formation. This trailblazing work uses queer performance as an analytical lens to challenge heteronormative modes of social relations and hegemonic narratives of historiography. It will be of great interest to students and scholars of theatre and performance studies, gender and sexuality studies and Asian studies.
Shu Wan is currently matriculated as a doctoral student in history at the University at Buffalo. As a digital and disability historian, he serves in the editorial team of Digital Humanities Quarterly and Nursing Clio. On Twitter: @slissw.