A heavy load

: filial piety, marriage, and invisibility in Beijing story

Abstract

Beijing gushi 北京故事’s (1996) controversial depictions of vivid sex scenes between two men bellied this online novel’s popularity. Beneath this lurid exterior, however, one can find a vast hinterland of social and political commentary on the lives and experiences of LGBTQ people in China. Even if the novel’s plot is encased in the 80s, its themes, namely the weight filial piety has on the lives of gay men, which may result in taxing forms of marriage have certainly surpassed this decade. Through an analysis of particular plot points within the novel, this thesis will discuss how these topics, which have remained current and relevant to queer people in China, are handled in Beijing gushi, by providing a necessary ballast of contextualization and connections to current academic studies in this field.

Date of Award	8 Jul 2022
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Beatriz Hernandez (Supervisor) & Alvin K. Wong (Co-Supervisor)