Queer China, 'Comrade' China (dir. Cui Zi'en)
The current issue of Video Librarian includes a review of one of our hottest titles, Cui Zi’en’s Queer China, ‘Comrade China’. Here’s an excerpt from the review:
Openly gay filmmaker Cui Zi’en helmed this chronicle of the changes and developments in the LGBT community in China from the 1930s through the early years of the 21st century. China was relatively late in openly acknowledging basic civil rights for its homosexual population; in fact, the Communist goverment didn’t decriminalize “hooliganism,” as it was officially known, until 1997, and the acceptance of non-heterosexuals into mainstream Chinese society has been awkward… Queer China, ‘Comrade’ China includes frank interviews with more than three dozen scholars, activists, filmmakers, and writers, combined with rarely seen footage of the first-ever appearance of gays and lesbians on state television… This is a genuinely fascinating look at a continually evolving segment of Chinese society. Recommended.
The full review can be accessed at the Video Librarian website (registration required)