To those gay brothers who watch Chinese or Taiwanese gay drama or documentary on issues affecting our daily lives, I came up with this list. I have only managed to watch 'We are Gamily' and 'Crystal Boys' while the rest I still cannot find platforms that stream them with English subtitles. If you know which platforms to watch them on with English subtitles, please share the sources. Any new gay series, gay drama, or gay documentary on Chinese, Taiwanese, and Chinese diaspora characters that you know, please also share.
Note: Please do not post or share BL/Yaoi drama or documentary here because "BL lovers" already have their club post. Go to the post over there where other BL lovers will appreciate that particular type of drama/documentary with you. :)
Title: Life of an Outcast (端边人生)
Country: China
Year: 2016
Summary: This low-budget Chinese web series tells the story of a young gay man who migrates to a big city and grapples with familial rejection, mental health issues, and the search for connection and acceptance. It portrays the darker and more isolating aspects of being gay in modern China.
Why It Fits: Despite its limited reach, the series is praised by LGBT+ activists in China for realistically addressing themes like depression, discrimination, and the need for chosen family without falling into romanticized tropes.
Title: We Are Gamily (我们是一家人)
Country: Taiwan
Year: 2017
Summary: This Taiwanese series centers around two families brought together when their sons fall in love. The story explores how the families evolve, react, and begin to understand their children's sexual orientation in a Taiwanese cultural context.
Why It Fits: The show presents a grounded portrayal of coming out and intergenerational conflict, emphasizing how gay relationships affect not just the individuals but their broader families and communities. Film : We Are Gamily (2017) - BiliBili
Title: Days of Our Own
Country: China
Year: 2022
Summary: A heartfelt story following a gay man in his 30s who is pressured into a fake marriage while secretly maintaining a long-term relationship with his partner. The narrative focuses on navigating love, deception, and societal expectations in urban China.
Why It Fits: This series stands out for portraying the complexities of "cooperative marriages" (xinghun), the quiet endurance of long-term partnerships, and the mental toll of double lives led by many closeted men in China.
Title: Innocent (Youth in Their Eyes) (纯真)
Country: Taiwan
Year: 2023
Summary: Set in contemporary Taipei, the series traces the friendship and emotional entanglement of two university students who struggle with sexual identity, family pressure, and societal expectations. Their relationship develops slowly and realistically over several years.
Why It Fits: It avoids BL-style tropes and instead offers a nuanced, slow-burn look at how sexual identity is formed and challenged within Taiwanese youth culture, reflecting real-life pressures from both family and society.
Title: Crystal Boys (2021 Revival)
Country: Taiwan
Year: 2021
Summary: Based on the classic queer novel by Pai Hsien-yung, this new adaptation delves into the lives of young gay men living on the fringes of Taipei society in the 1980s. The series explores themes of rejection, survival, and the creation of alternative communities.
Why It Fits: Known as one of the first realistic depictions of gay life in Chinese literature and media, the updated series remains a seminal portrayal of marginalized queer youth navigating harsh realities.
Title: Stay With Me (Not the BL series) – Documentary Style
Country: China
Year: 2018
Summary: This semi-fictionalized docuseries interweaves dramatized segments with interviews, showing the journey of three gay Chinese men from different regions as they contend with coming out, dating, and parental pressure.
Why It Fits: The format allows real stories to shape the narrative, anchoring the experiences in the lived realities of Chinese gay men rather than idealized drama.
Title: The Making of an Ordinary Marriage
Country: Taiwan
Year: 2024
Summary: A drama that follows a middle-aged gay couple navigating adoption, healthcare decisions, and everyday life after the legalization of same-sex marriage in Taiwan.
Why It Fits: It provides an intimate and realistic depiction of long-term commitment and legal equality, showing how the fight for rights continues even after symbolic milestones are achieved.
