Repression, Permeation, and Circulation: Retracing and Reframing Danmei Culture Online in Mainland China

Danmei (耽美), which is also called ‘boy’s love’ (abbreviated as BL), refers to fantasy textual stories depicting gay male romantic relationships (McLelland and Aoyama, 2015). The rapid proliferation of this popular culture has triggered scholars to reflect on the ‘queer culture’ in which it is represented. This article aims to explore the intrinsic connection between Chinese danmei culture and Chinese queer culture in digital media. By adopting the research method of media archaeology and culture materialism, I will map the development of danmei culture in mainland China into three periods: repression period (1994-2003) when the state authority compelled danmei and queer culture to find shelter in virtual cyberspace; permeation period (2003-2016) when queer culture reshaped danmei culture, and the former two generate multiple forms of expression on the internet; and circulation period (2016-2021) when digital media industrialised danmei culture. Then, a cultural framework, ‘queer-danmei-media’ will be proposed, in reference to the interaction of ‘affect-body-world’ described by Melissa Gregg, Gregory J. Seigworth, and Lisa Blackman, to reinforce the social and political functions of danmei and transfer it from generalised pop culture towards the cultural representation and campaign position of queerness and feminism.