XIAOMENG LI: 'Guofeng' Framings of Boys' Love TV Series in China [ECR]

In the last few years, Chinese ‘boys’ love’ television dramas (dangai) have attained immense popularity within China and globally. While state authorities are known to censor LGBTQ content, the Chinese state media has used guofeng (‘national style’) language to laud some such series, including The Untamed and Word of Honor, in nationalistic terms. Through effusively praising depictions of traditional Chinese culture while downplaying or obscuring the texts’ origins in homoerotic novels, such commentary has sought to recruit dangai series towards advancing Chinese cultural power while containing the texts’ queer transgressiveness. This study refers to this phenomenon as brand nohomonationalism, or the undergirding of nationalist ideology by particular configurations of normative sexual discourse, which expands on the insights of Puar’s ‘homonationalism’, Iwabuchi’s ‘brand nationalism’, and Williams’ ‘brand homonationalism’ in the broader Asian context. Although brand nohomonationalist commentary has been curtailed since recent injunctions against ‘effeminate men’ and danmei (boys’ love) content, it is part of the Chinese government’s broader efforts to exercise ideological authority over popular culture. Analysing the phenomenon provides new insights into how sexual and national identities are co-constructed.

Xiaomeng Li is a Visiting Scholar at Manchester China Institute. She also holds a position as an Assistant Professor at the School of Journalism and Communication, Shanghai International Studies University, China. Her research interests and published works focus on Chinese women and nationalism, East Asian popular culture and fandom.

MCI’s ECR Workshops are lunchtime seminars held in person at the Manchester China Institute. They seek to bring together students, faculty, and staff who can best provide feedback as Early Career Researchers develop their ideas. Free lunch will be provided.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Manchester China Institute, 178 Waterloo Place, Manchester, United Kingdom