Queer Narratives in Contemporary China: An Analysis of Homosexual Experience in Mu Cao's Work

China's rich cultural heritage, deeply rooted in Confucian principles and traditional family values, has historically shaped societal norms and expectations. However, as the nation embraces globalization and modernization, the discourse on sexuality is also changing. New and diverse sexual identities are becoming increasingly more visible in the mainstream Chinese heterosexual society. The once hidden queer community is also gradually emerging from the shadows, often using art as a vessel to express its sexuality (Cowley et al., 2016) and assert its presence as a legitimate component of the broader Chinese social context. Amongst the queer artists that are actively reshaping narratives around homosexuality is Mu Cao, China’s first openly gay poet. His avant-garde writing provides a unique take on the portrayal of the homosexual experience, serving as a reflection of the societal attitudes towards LGBTQ+ identities within various socioeconomic strata in the Chinese contemporary...Show moreChina's rich cultural heritage, deeply rooted in Confucian principles and traditional family values, has historically shaped societal norms and expectations. However, as the nation embraces globalization and modernization, the discourse on sexuality is also changing. New and diverse sexual identities are becoming increasingly more visible in the mainstream Chinese heterosexual society. The once hidden queer community is also gradually emerging from the shadows, often using art as a vessel to express its sexuality (Cowley et al., 2016) and assert its presence as a legitimate component of the broader Chinese social context. Amongst the queer artists that are actively reshaping narratives around homosexuality is Mu Cao, China’s first openly gay poet. His avant-garde writing provides a unique take on the portrayal of the homosexual experience, serving as a reflection of the societal attitudes towards LGBTQ+ identities within various socioeconomic strata in the Chinese contemporary context. As a matter of fact, Mu Cao is also a dagongren, one of the hundreds of millions of migrant workers who left rural China to work in a metropolis; his oeuvre provides an unfiltered reality that combines his struggles as a member of both the LGBTQ+ and migrant workers communities, thus offering a nuanced exploration of the intersectionality within his lived experiences. By examining Mu Cao's cultural production within the socio-cultural context of contemporary China, I ask: How does Mu Cao’s writing portray the homosexual experience in contemporary China. Through an analysis of both Mu Cao’s poetry and short stories, this research seeks to shed light on the intersection of personal identity, social norms and modern struggles that are portrayed in his work.Show less

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Queer Narratives in Contemporary China: An Analysis of Homosexual Experience in Mu Cao's Work