When Queer Theory Speaks Chinese: Translating Queer in China

Bao, Hongwei

Abstract

Tracing a brief genealogy of the emergence of queer theory in Mainland China, this chapter identifies three key historical moments when queer theory travelled to the People’s Republic of China at the end of the twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty-first century: first, the transnational circulation and intellectual debate surrounding the term tongzhi, which served as an intellectual effort to construct a Chinese queer theory; second, the publication of Li Yinhe’s translation of Ku’er Lilun (Queer Theory) in 2000, which marked the official debut of queer theory in the mainland Chinese context; third, the ‘Sailor Moon Warrior Lala’ debate that took place in Chinese cyberspace from 2011 to 2012, which indicated the symbolic emergence of queer politics in China’s queer communities. These moments demonstrate that the meanings of queer have always been subject to constant mutations and transformations. This insight has significant implications for the decolonisation of queer theory in a transnational context.

Citation

Bao, H. (2024). When Queer Theory Speaks Chinese: Translating Queer in China. In J. J. Zhao, & H. Bao (Eds.), Routledge Handbook of Chinese Gender and Sexuality. Routledge

• Online Publication Date: Apr 9, 2024
• Publication Date: 2024
• Deposit Date: Nov 13, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Oct 10, 2025
• Publisher: Routledge
• Book Title: Routledge Handbook of Chinese Gender and Sexuality
• ISBN: 9781003273943
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/27368623
• Publisher URL: https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003273943-14/queer-theory-speaks-chinese-hongwei-bao?context=ubx&refId=5a29d477-25cf-450b-8909-ecafff7dfd0e
• Contract Date: Aug 30, 2023