Hongwei Bao, "Contemporary Chinese Queer Performance" (Routledge, 2022)
Sep 18, 2023
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Hongwei Bao, a guest on the podcast, analyzes queer theatre and performance in contemporary China, discussing various forms of queer performance, including music, film, theatre, and political activism. The podcast explores the importance of performance for queer identity and community formation, challenging heteronormative social relations and hegemonic narratives. Topics covered include the personal journey of discovering queer identity in China, comparing two queer films, queer activism through art and culture, and queer Chinese artists' digital performance during the pandemic.
Queer performance in contemporary China serves as a powerful tool for challenging societal norms and creating queer identity and community.
The term 'queer' in Chinese society encompasses diverse meanings and interpretations across academia, arts, culture, and mainstream society, reflecting a resistance to social norms.
Art and cultural production, including performance and filmmaking, play a crucial role in raising awareness, fostering understanding, and creating avenues for change and connection in Chinese queer communities.
Deep dives
The Personal Journey of a Queer Chinese Researcher
Hui Bao, an associate professor in Media Studies, shares his personal journey of discovering his queer identity and the emotional struggles he faced growing up in China. He credits influential figures such as Professor Li Yinfa and filmmaker Switzerland for inspiring his interest in queer studies and changing his research topic. Bao highlights the importance of art and culture as a form of activism, particularly in a society where explicit forms of queer activism are challenging.
Exploring the Meaning of Queer in Contemporary Chinese Society
Bao discusses the varied meanings of the term 'queer' in Chinese society, highlighting its translation from Western terms and the different interpretations across academia, arts, culture, and mainstream society. He analyzes the photography and artwork of Genghong, a queer photographer, to demonstrate his understanding of queerness as a way of life that resists social norms. Bao emphasizes that queer culture in China encompasses diverse lifestyles and identities beyond a singular definition.
Cultural Activism: The Role of Beijing Queer Chorus
Bao examines the Beijing Queer Chorus as an example of cultural activism, where members use their beautiful voices to subtly challenge social norms and communicate their experiences and needs to both the queer community and the wider public. By performing and engaging with local audiences, the chorus creates a unique form of activism that fosters understanding and recognition without relying on explicit visibility-based activism.
The Role of Queer Filmmakers in Cultural Representation and Activism
Bao highlights the work of queer filmmaker Fan Popo, whose documentaries and films provide insightful perspectives on queer life in China. Bao discusses how Fan Popo's work combines filmmaking with community activism, using performance art and creating dialogue through films to raise public awareness of gender and sexual diversity. He emphasizes the creativity and importance of art and cultural production as avenues for change and understanding in the absence of explicit forms of activism.
Transnationalism and the Challenges of Representing Queer Identity in Chinese Theatre
Bao explores the transnational influences on Chinese queer theatre through the examples of 'East Palace, West Palace' and 'About My Parents and Their Child'. He discusses the challenges faced when adapting and presenting Western avant-garde theatre concepts in a Chinese context, along with the use of documentary theatre to depict real-life experiences. Bao emphasizes the powerful impact of these performances in creating a queer public sphere and fostering cross-generational understanding.
Digital Performance and Connection during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Bao examines the digital performances of queer Chinese artists during the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting their use of food as a symbol of connection and shared experience. These performances address racism and discrimination faced by Chinese communities and seek to break stereotypes associated with Asian food. Bao emphasizes how art and performance serve as tools to reach out, connect, and bridge gaps in understanding during challenging times.
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.
