Tongzhi literature explained

Tongzhi literature is a form of LGBT literature originating in Taiwan, with influences from mainland China, Hong Kong, and Chinese-speaking diaspora communities in countries such as Malaysia.^{[1] [2]} Tongzhi is a term that formerly carried political connotations, but now is used among younger generations to refer to LGBT or queer people.

The form tends to focus on the struggles experienced by sexual minorities, rather than interpersonal romantic relationships.^[3] Prominent authors of tongzhi literature include Andre Aciman, Ta-wei Chi, Qiu Miaojin, Yukio Mishima, and Chu T’ien-wen.^[4] Examples of works in the genre include Ta-wei Chi's 1996 novel The Membranes.

History

The genre emerged in the 1990s^[5] and the decade is called the "golden age" of tongzhi literature. However, there are works published before the 1990s that are considered part of or influences of the genre, such as Pai Hsien-yung's 1976 short story collection Lonely Seventeen, his 1983 short story A Sky Full of Bright, Twinkling Stars, and his 1983 novel Crystal Boys.

In 1998, the Global Chinese Tongzhi Literature Prize was established.

Tongzhi literature was also posted and shared on the internet starting in the 1990s.^[6]

References

1. Chiang . Howard . 2018-02-20 . A Queer Invention in Taiwan: A History of Tongzhi Literature (同志文學史：台灣的發明), written by Ta-Wei Chi . International Journal of Taiwan Studies . 1 . 1 . 229–231 . 10.1163/24688800-00101013 . 2468-8800.
2. Book: Bruno . Cosima . The Bloomsbury Handbook of Modern Chinese Literature in Translation . Klein . Lucas . Song . Chris . 2023-10-19 . Bloomsbury Publishing . 978-1-350-21531-3 . 67 . en.
3. Web site: Chen . Peilin . 2020-08-31 . Negotiating Queer Fantasy and the Normative: Boys' Love Stories Fandom in China . 2024-02-13 . US-China Today . en-US.
4. Web site: Ma . Yahia Zhengtang . 2021-05-11 . Gay Jouissance: Queering the Representation of Same-sex Desire in 1990s Taiwan Literature . 2024-02-13 . Taiwan Insight . en.
5. Book: Martin . Angelwings: Contemporary Queer Fiction from Taiwan . 2003-01-31 . University of Hawaii Press . 978-0-8248-6146-9 . Martin . Fran . 6 . en . Martin . Fran.
6. Book: Kent . Mike . Chinese Social Media: Social, Cultural, and Political Implications . Ellis . Katie . Xu . Jian . 2017-09-27 . Routledge . 978-1-351-66182-9 . en.

Further reading

• Book: Chi, Ta-wei. A Queer Invention in Taiwan: A History of Tongzhi Literature. Taipei. Linking Publishing. 2017.
• Book: Liu, Petrus . CHAPTER 3. The Rise of the Queer Chinese Novel . 2015-10-26 . Queer Marxism in Two Chinas. 85–113 . 2024-02-13 . Duke University Press . en . 10.1515/9780822375081-004 . 978-0-8223-7508-1. 242321105 .