Masculinities in Chinese boys' love stories

Female Imaginations, Market Forces and State Influence

Bibliographic Data

ID3648000
AuthorsRan Xi (0000-0003-1672-8816, School of Chinese, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China, corresponding author)
Year2024
Volume34
Issue7
Pages1-11
Publication date2024-09-26
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Gender Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0958-9236 • E-ISSN: 1465-3869
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/09589236.2024.2408403
OpenAlexW4402863739
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited32

This study investigates the imagined utopia of Chinese masculinity to uncover contemporary ideals of Chinese manhood and prototypes of gender relationships. To this end, the study involves in-depth interviews with 25 danmei creators and online questionnaires collected from danmei communities in mainland China. This study contributes to previous scholarly discussions by delineating danmei’s fandom and danmei’s literary formulae. The created masculinities in danmei reflect rising female creators’ subjectivities. Nevertheless, danmei’s political implications in China are limited and cannot be generalized as a move to overthrow the patriarchy or oversimplified as a step towards a feminist movement. Among the different archetypes of relationships, the pairing of two strong male characters enjoys the most popularity, which attests to women’s projection of independent subjectivity and rising neoliberal sensibilities in China. However, these emergent masculinities, initiated by female creators, persist in negotiations with the market and the state. The danmei industry in China, although subject to stringent surveillance, continues to flourish through underground avenues such as piracy and overseas purchasing agents

Political science · Sociology · Gender Roles and Identity Studies · Gender Studies · Gender, Feminism, and Media · Youth Education and Societal Dynamics

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