autumn iris:
I'm not saying Chinese drama only air on mainland China platforms. I'm saying Revenged Love (BL drama which air on Viki and GagaooLala) is not airing on any mainland China platform means the BL's ban in mainland China is still exist. It doesn't matter if it's Chinese production, as long as it doesn't air on mainland China platform, the ban is still there.
But if you think I'm wrong, then maybe I misunderstand the BL's ban in China.
Yeah, A Dream within A Dream is iirc iQIYI's production but it exist in WeTV (Tencent outside China) in my country.
An alternative approach, to put it more clearly 😊
The laws themselves do not explicitly prohibit LGBTQ+ identities. Therefore, one could argue that, officially, they do not exist.
However, in this context, it is often claimed that such topics are considered “morally questionable” or even “immoral.” These terms are extremely vague and flexible, which means that a wide range of things – such as pornography, graphic kissing scenes, etc. – can quickly fall under this category. In the same breath, the LGBTQ+ community is often mentioned.
This line of argumentation has been used by the authorities to justify restrictions. As a result, regulators make use of this vague language to address – or, in effect, to ban – certain topics and to put pressure on particular groups. These are laws that are phrased in broader terms and are not as specifically defined as, for example, the censorship guidelines issued by the NRTA.
Up until the outbreak of COVID, Christopher Street Day events were held in several cities. However, after the pandemic, when organisers attempted to obtain permits to resume these events, they came under significant pressure from local authorities. In light of this pressure – and with the same reasoning being used, branding the events as “morally questionable” – the organisers ultimately decided not to continue planning or hosting such events.
KG:
Also, here is the explicit ban on bromance or dangai from the Beijing Municipal Radio Television and Film Bureau (sorry it's also in chinese, but I figure the primary source is best proof and it's not my fault if the homophobe claiming it isn't banned doesn't speak chinese) https://web.archive.org/web/20220524181759/https://gdj.beijing.gov.cn/hdjl/zxft1/202201/t20220107_2584937.html
Thank you. Also whether you can read Chinese or not doesn't matter since you can just go to your browser settings and choose "translate page".
The laws themselves do not explicitly prohibit LGBTQ+ identities. Therefore, one could argue that, officially, they do not exist.Chen Lu:
However, in this context, it is often claimed that such topics are considered “morally questionable” or even “immoral.” These terms are extremely vague and flexible, which means that a wide range of things – such as pornography, graphic kissing scenes, etc. – can quickly fall under this category. In the same breath, the LGBTQ+ community is often mentioned.
This line of argumentation has been used by the authorities to justify restrictions. As a result, regulators make use of this vague language to address – or, in effect, to ban – certain topics and to put pressure on particular groups. These are laws that are phrased in broader terms and are not as specifically defined as, for example, the censorship guidelines issued by the NRTA.
The laws DO EXPLICITLY PROHIBIT depictions of homosexuality. As is clearly stated in the xinhua link I provided. You are spreading misinformation.
I do not justify their actions, especially as I myself belong to the LGBTQ+ community. However, I asked many questions about this on TikTok to a Danmei author who publishes her books on https://www.jjwxc.net. She engaged openly with the community and addressed questions regarding the ban, clearly stating in 2023 that there is no official ban and detailing the relevant guidelines. I essentially based my understanding on her statements and explanations about the existing regulations, assuming she was well acquainted with them as a writer of such books. I directed my questions to her last year and have recently asked for an update to gain further information and insight into how she now perceives the situation. In the past, she repeatedly emphasised that, to date (i.e., last year), no authors have been detained for publishing their works on Taiwanese websites, explicitly mentioning LongMa Books in this context.
Regarding your comment on the Haitang website, it is important to note that it is a Taiwanese site hosting books with explicit pornographic content. Here, the absolute ban on distributing pornography applies—this is also the prosecution’s main argument. It would be interesting to investigate whether straight romance novels contain similarly explicit content to better highlight any imbalance.
On the topic of live streams, typically, dialogue scripts must be submitted prior to streaming and are returned with suggested changes. However, recent years have shown this is impractical, as journalists interviewing stars often broach sensitive topics spontaneously and make statements that would otherwise be prohibited. Yet, no interviewer has been held accountable so far, which again reveals a certain imbalance in enforcement.
In historical dramas, there is a distinction: teacher–student relationships are permitted from the age of 16, but Mo Ran was only 15.
Regarding The Rise of Ning, it is clear that the character in question is not the sister, so your statement on this is incorrect. She belongs to a different family, is not adopted by the other family, and is formally removed from the wrong family’s register and placed back into her true family’s records. Therefore, the argument about The Rise of Ning does not apply. Of course, the protagonist initially developed feelings for her and found them unnatural until he discovered she was not a family member, which he hints at indirectly in one episode.
A brief note on The League of Nobleman: the author stated clearly on Weibo that this is not a Danmei but rather a story about two very close friends, akin to soulmates. They do not have to be in a relationship. She said she did not mind how fans interpreted it and allowed it to be as they wished. The book itself is a regular historical crime novel, using the bromance trope simply to attract more viewers.
As for A Prime Minister’s Disguise, I cannot comment as I have neither watched the drama nor read the book, but I will take a look.
It’s good that I speak Chinese 😉 However, the link you provided (https://web.archive.org/web/20220524181759/https://gdj.beijing.gov.cn/hdjl/zxft1/202201/t20220107_2584937.html) contains no explicit mention of homosexuality. It focuses on compliance with:
Socialist core values
Social harmony
The prohibition of “inappropriate” content such as violence, pornography, and “vulgar” entertainment.
Although homosexuality is not directly referenced, vague terms such as:
“Content undermining traditional morality”
“Depictions of deviant social behaviours”
can be used in practice to restrict LGBTQ+ representations.
I will share the Xinhua article with the author and question her about it, as clearly some incorrect information has been circulated. This leads to a distorted perception of reality for people like me, for example. Since the article is from Xinhua—which is definitely a credible source as it is one of the central state media outlets—I will send her the link, especially considering that the term "同性恋" was clearly used, and we both know exactly what that means 😉.
I kindly ask that, in future discussions, people allow others some time to respond to individual points. Later on, I adjusted my approach and at least tried to reply to most of the comments in a summarised way. Naturally, I can't address everything in detail, as I can't be online all the time or respond as quickly as some of you post.
So please be kind to others who may not be as quick to respond as I am. Thank you 😊
@Chen Lu: I don't read enough Chinese to be able to read the gdj.beijing.gov. page without machine translation, but it does look like it mentions putting a comprehensive stop to idol survival shows and dangai (耽改) = censored danmei adaptations.
I'm also wondering whether there are not different policies regarding the publication of danmei literature and the airing of danmei/dangai live action dramas (or films). I know it's not illegal to publish danmei novels, just to write explicit sex scenes in them. What we are (mostly) discussing in this topic is (I think) the live action adaptations, which are very apparently not allowed to air on web or TV in mainland China even when censored.
@Chen Lu the censorship of dramas and the censorship of WRITTEN NOVELS on JJWXC are two completely DIFFERENT things. We are talking about the censorship of dramas. What is allowed to be broadcast. You are talking about what is allowed to be serialized on the internet as a NOVEL. Everything you have said so far is certainly true of the censorship of NOVELS. It is NOT true of dramas. Completely different rules and regulations overseen by different bodies and organizations for dramas and what is allowed to be in novels that are easily available on the internet.
And as Aprillen mentioned, the gdj.beijing.gov I linked DOES EXPLICITLY mention dangai, the term used for bromance adapted from danmei if you read down far enough.
Homosexuality IS allowed in webnovels. It is NOT ALLOWED in dramas. The bromances that have aired are allowed because they are not adapted from danmei. Dangai is bromance adapted from danmei. Bromance like Mysterious Lotus Casebook are adapted from BROMANCE NOVELS. Not danmei novels.
An alternative approach, to put it more clearly 😊Chen Lu:
The laws themselves do not explicitly prohibit LGBTQ+ identities. Therefore, one could argue that, officially, they do not exist.
Homosexuality is exist in mainland China, it's just the government do not recognized same-sex marriage so they also can't adopt any child. But at least it no longer categorized as a crime or a mental disorder unlike in the past.
I previously post a few links which I re-post here. Please read it.
To prove the ban is still there:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBTQ_rights_in_China
This is the latest news regarding BL writers who wrote for a Taiwan BL platform posted a few days ago:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c056nle2drno
Quoting some words:
"The Chinese government wants to promote traditional family values and liking danmei novels is seen as a factor in making women less willing to have children," Dr Ge explains.
This is the second wave of mass arrests in less than a year - late last year, some 50 Haitang writers were prosecuted. A famous author who earned about 1.85 million yuan was jailed for nearly five years.
The two crackdowns are similar, according to a lawyer who had represented some of the defendants last year, "but this time, even those with minor involvement weren't spared".
This should be the first ban confirmed (about the web-series Addicted):
@chen lu
Regarding the Rise of Ning, even though it was eventually revealed towards the very end that they are not blood-related, this does not discount the fact that this drama has incest themes. For the most part of the drama, they have been acting as brother and sister who are in love with each other, with the FL mostly not knowing the truth., which is even worse if you think about it.
At least in WiK, they know they are not blood-related from the get go. But you argue that WIK hadn't been released, not because of its Danmei source, but because of the depiction of a relationship between adopted father and son. If this is the case, then why is WIK held back, while Indulgence, Fang Si Ye, Proud and Partial and many others portraying the same themes got approved??
I also doubt that the production team of WIK will make it obvious that the two leads are romantically interested in each other when The Untamed or WOH cannot even pass as "true" BL in the sense of the word. Just because people who are familiar with these works know it, doesn't mean that common folks who view them for the first time and have no prior knowledge of the original source will immediately think that "boy, this is soooo gay."
At most, WIK might depict a socialist brotherhood type of relationship or in this case, just as a regular familial bond Between an adopted father and son without any ulterior motive, or "unnatural" attraction between them. Even without the regulations in place, a large scale production such as WIK wouldn't be explicitly be BL because this will alienate mainstream viewers, and therefore less revenue.
I also very much doubt that the lead actors would have signed up for a drama if it depicts an explicit homosexual relationship.
Both TJC and CZY were already established actors with quite a few titles under their belt when they started filming WIK. Unlike the lead actors here in Revenged Love who are relatively new to acting, and are more prone to take roles that are more risky, like when Gong Jun took up Advanced Bravely or Wu Kang Ren acted in Fragile in Love as starting points.
But you never know, some actors do decide to go the other way and take risks in playing "controversial" roles even after they are already established but that is less likely.
Despite the anti LGBT stance of the Chinese government, the good news is, China did not even crack the 100 most homophobic countries based on this list.
https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/most-homophobic-countries
Important: See the first table where it lists all the countries as the second table here does not make sense, because the Top 20 contradicts their first table and also their data on this other link.
https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/lgbt-rights-by-country
A clarification regarding my last post, I am not lambasting depictions of incest. I am just highlighting the biased treatment of same tropes between same-sex adaptations and opposite-sex adaptations by Chinese Regulators. Granted, I understand the need for them to enforce a more stringent standard on works based on LGBTQ sources, because of their so-called traditional values. I am not disregarding their belief system either, that's why we have different cultures and practices. They are certainly entitled to have their own rules, but does that make it right, and by whose standards are we measuring?
As a proud member of the LGBTQ community, and also as a Chinese person myself, I am of course saddened and at times even enraged that homophobia still exists, even though I have moved to a country that has progressive LGBTQ-friendly laws, and lived here for half of my life.
Of course, the stark contrast is prominent when I lived in Asia and when I lived here in Canada. The erasure of such homophobic sentiment does not sit well with me. I will only count that homophobia cease to exist, is the day where people no longer have to "come out" and face consequences or stigma for this so-called '"abnormal behavior."
Until then, there's still a long way to go, especially when the current US administration just walked back the rights of LGBTQ+ people by dismantling DEI policies and removing funding from programs geared towards the LGBTQ community. It just sends a signal to the rest of the world, that equality for LGBTQ people were wrong in the first place. These reversals just reinforce homophobia and transphobia.
Again one of the good things that come out of these discussion is awareness, so I count that as a win.
@Autumn Iris: It's unfortunate that the BBC article is so badly researched and has a lot of misinformation about what danmei is (and seems to be supporting voices that criticise it for conservative or contrived reasons). I found another article that seems better informed, analysing the phenomenon without moralising over young women engaging in smut: https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2025/06/profit-seeking-police-crack-down-on-danmei-erotic-fiction-writers/
It's telling that we have heard nothing of any similar crackdowns on heterosexual smut, which I'm sure exists, and probably in much larger amounts. From an outside pov, it's definitely not about the smut as much as it about young women being involved in it, and absolutely about the fact that it's gay smut, and that profiting from it is just the excuse. It's clearly motivated by both homophobia and sexism. It's unfortunate that the BBC article is so uncritical and (IMO) unprofessionally written.
Being gay is not illegal in China, which is why it's not in the top 100 list that Tanky Toon mentioned. There are countries where it's not just illegal, but punishable by death, mainly motivated by religion. China does not seem to have such a religiously motivated homophobia in its culture (Buddhism, as far as I'm aware, doesn't even mention it one way or another). But China doesn't support LGBTQ, it just tolerates it—so far—as long as it stays in the shadows and doesn't try to "corrupt" the youth of China by informing people that it exists. The actual people of China, especially in the big cities and among the younger generations, seem to be fairly tolerant or accepting of LGBTQ, but I've seen interviews with LGB people in China who are nervous about the unpredictability of government policies, fearing a future crackdown on LGBTQ individuals themselves. What is fine (or tolerated) at one point can very suddenly become undesirable if the old, conservative men in power decide that they don't like it or that it's a threat against the patriarchal "heroic manliness" of China's youth, or allows women to take charge of their own sexual agency instead of being pretty little demure flowers putting marriage and baby-making first.
The fact remains that while danmei literature is currently tolerated (as long as it doesn't contain references to anything below the neck), danmei live action—even censored—is not.
TJPellenor:
Ok so here's my take Revenged Love is pretty much safe as long as they keep it out of China. It wasn't filmed in China probably not edited there either and definitely isn't being promoted there also the major investors are from Singapore so no Chinese money invested in the drama. Also China has not ever forced a streaming service that isn't based in China to stop streaming a drama if the streaming service is based in China then yes but otherwise no. This whole thing started with a BL fan page post on facebook and everyone just ran with it just calm down people everything is fine.
It was filmed in China, in the city of Wuxi. And very likely edited and post-produced in China as well.
Notable ControversiesChen Lu:
AO3 – The 227 Incident: A fanfic that shipped actors (Xiao Zhan & Wang Yibo), not their characters, triggered massive backlash and the banning of the platform
The Legendary Life of Queen Lau: Removed after criticism for Japanese cultural elements (e.g. costumes, cuisine); netizens felt this disrespected China’s wartime history
I am a bit sad that "The Legendary Life of Queen Lau" was removed, as it broke norms for having a FL outside (today's) standard beauty norms, and she was fun and interesting as well. I enjoyed the drama's characters and growth.
Past actions have already demonstrated how China handled "popular" BL and bromance dramas such as Addicted or The Untamed. While Addicted stopped airing and was removed completely later on, the whole matter of separating the actors of these dramas is rather well-known too. Nobody would handle things like that in any "Western" country, and likely it wouldn't be handled like that either in quite a number of other countries all over the world.
While I do like Chinese dramas, they will always face their own set limits by excluding (actual) political content and always portraying authorities as a bunch of holy people. For example, the police is often shown as a perfect force which is way too far from reality to make it engaging enough (e.g. in "Reset" which was a great show, but the police is way too perfect). At the same time, their bad impression of especially the USA is sometimes quite noticeable. For example, in "Broker". Their attitude toward political matters in contemporary dramas might be a reason why those often remain rather shallow.
Regarding BL, it's a pity to see how the policies and "moral beliefs" destroy the creativity of these authors and creative producers. China does have a fascinating culture and I do think it's worth learning about China. But China also has this overwhelming old-fashioned and non-democratic government which is about everywhere and if you look very closely, you'll see the limits they push for in any of their dramas. It prevents the viewers from thinking and questioning their own values. It limits art to a maximum.
I am shocked when I read that people tend to defend these rules and actions toward "Danmei", for example by mentioning crazy fans. That's not a reason to abolish basic human rights. But I doubt there'll be changes anytime soon unless there's someone else in charge. And even then it's rather doubtful. Still, that's probably something the Chinese people have to stand up for despite the consequences.
Regarding Revenged Love, these two actors weren't as successful and probably considered this a chance. And they used it indeed.
In the end, unreleased danmei dramas won't be held back by superficial stuff like distorted incest, the makers will have removed all the topics that might be against the rules and have adjusted them. I mean, who cares if someone is 15 or 18 in a drama, this can be easily changed. Novel adaptions usually adjust quite a lot and remove controversial content. This isn't unheard of in many of the Chinese novel adaptions, which are often rather far from the book itself. I hope they will find some way to release them at some point without the roller coaster ride we have to face here.
@Xylune The crazy fandom is in part caused by the repressive government. Fans, especially female fans, who are unhappy with their situation turn all their frustration to engage with idol culture, and if lots of things are boiling under the surface it can sometimes get very excessive. But it's also because of a certain type of fandom culture. Sadly, the government will then use this excessive and destructive fandom behaviour to motivate even more repression. It's a vicious circle.
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