Brand Nohomonationalism: Guofeng (‘National Style’) Framings of Boys’ Love Television Series in China

Abstract

ABSTRACT In the last few years, Chinese ‘boys’ love’ television dramas (dangai) have attained immense popularity within China and globally. While state authorities are known to censor LGBTQ content, the Chinese state media has used guofeng (‘national style’) language to laud some such series, including The Untamed and Word of Honor, in nationalistic terms. Through effusively praising depictions of traditional Chinese culture while downplaying or obscuring the texts’ origins in homoerotic novels, such commentary has sought to recruit dangai series towards advancing Chinese cultural power while containing the texts’ queer transgressiveness. We refer to this phenomenon as brand nohomonationalism, or the undergirding of nationalist ideology by particular configurations of normative sexual discourse, which expands on the insights of Puar’s ‘homonationalism’, Iwabuchi’s ‘brand nationalism’, and Williams’ ‘brand homonationalism’ in the broader Asian context. Although brand nohomonationalist commentary has been curtailed since recent injunctions against ‘effeminate men’ and danmei (boys’ love) content, it is part of the Chinese government’s broader efforts to exercise ideological authority over popular culture. Analysing the phenomenon provides new insights into how sexual and national identities are co-constructed.