More than Conformity or Resistance: Chinese “Boys’ Love” Fandom in the Age of Internet Censorship

Aug 28, 2026

Examining Chinese “boys’ love” (danmei/BL) manga and fictional fandom under internet censorship, the article analyzes how BL participants and conscientious netizens respond to anti-pornography campaigns. It argues these responses are not merely passive reactions but involve diverse, sometimes opposite, strategies that negotiate between consumer culture and official discourse. The study first focuses on Priest’s BL web adaptation Zhenhun, then contrasts it with the widely condemned ten-year jail case of BL writer Gouwazi Tianyi, raising questions about outdated criminal law and patriarchal social institutions.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages26

Reading Time1 h 6 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

BL and censorship context

Legal risk and the notion of obscenity

Case Studies

Priest and Zhenhun: adaptation and collaboration with official discourse

Gouwazi Tianyi: criminal punishment and public backlash

Implications

Challenges to criminal law and patriarchal institutions

| RESEARCH ARTICLE
More than Conformity or Resistance: Chinese “Boys’ Love” Fandom in the Age of Internet Censorship
Xi Tian
Bucknell University, USA [xi.tian@bucknell.edu](xi.tian@bucknell.edu) | | --- | | One of the most popular literary and cultural practices particularly in the digital age,“boys’ love”(BL, danmei耽美) manga and fictional works are fantasies on romantic or homoerotic male-male relationships, and therefore are often naturally associated with homosexuality and pornography, two “morally”suspicious targets of government censorship in the heteronormative Chinese culture. This article aims to examine the various, indeed often opposite, strategies and tactics taken by BL participants and by some conscientious netizens on popular social media to illustrate how those who are under the threat of censorship grapple with harsh reality. In this article I argue that the BL practitioners’ responses to Chinese government’s anti-pornography campaigns are not simply a passive or reluctant “reaction.” I will first study the web adaptation of Priest’s BL story Zhenhun, demonstrating Priest’s as well as her fans’ tactful collaboration with the consumer culture and willing conformity to official discourse. Forming a sharp contrast with Priest’s commercial success, the controversial ten-year jail sentence of another BL writer, Gouwazi Tianyi, for profiting from producing and selling BL fiction has caused widespread outcry from both BL fans and ordinary netizens on Chinese social media. This case not only questions the dated criminal laws on obscene articles, but also challenges the patriarchal and problematic social institutions.
作為數字時代最受歡迎的流行文學和文化實踐，耽美漫畫和虛構作品是對男男浪漫的戀愛關係或性關係的想像，因此常與同性戀和色情聯繫起來。而在以異性戀為正統的中國文化中，常常成為政府審查制度針對的“道德”目標。本文旨在研究耽美參與者和一些有良知的網民在社交媒體上採取的不同甚至相反的策略，以展現人們如何應對嚴酷審查的現實。本文通過研讀網絡耽美劇《鎮魂》的接受情況解讀了耽美作家 Priest及其粉絲與消費文化和官方話語的共謀。同時通過探討耽美作家狗娃子天一因寫作和銷售耽美小說而被判刑的案例，展示了耽美參與者和網民對陳舊法律的質疑，以及對父權制的社會制度的挑戰。 | | Keywords: BL, danmei, censorship, fandom, media studies, Zhenhun, Gouwazi Tianyi
關鍵詞： BL，耽美，審查制度，粉絲研究，媒體研究，鎮魂，狗娃子天一 | One of the most popular literary and cultural practices, particularly in the digital age,“boys’ love”(BL, a.k.a. danmei耽美in China) manga and fictional works, primarily by women and for women, are fantasies on romantic or homoerotic male-male relationships, and therefore are often naturally associated with homosexuality and pornography, two “morally” suspicious targets of government censorship in the heteronormative Chinese culture. At the same time, because of the fact that BL and its early-stage form, yaoi,1 often deal with teenage boys or minors, BL is also considered “virtual child pornography” and sometimes, debatably, paedophilia in many western countries which legally accept homosexuality and adult pornography (McLelland 2005, 61–77) . Anything not in the realm of official and mainstream cultures is by nature subversive (and therefore dangerous), because of its distinctive difference from and transgression against the dominant culture. Although Chinese people are not unfamiliar with various forms of pornography in the history of literature, art, and religion (such as fangzhongshu房中术, sexual practices in Daoism), China has a centurieslong record of officially banning pornography (Yan 2014, 338) . Under the current Criminal Law of China, article 363 lists the definition, circumstances, and penalties of the criminal offence of producing, possessing, duplicating, publishing, circulating or disseminating obscene articles (Zhongguo Renda wang 1997) . Article 364(4) particularly states that anyone who disseminates obscene articles to minors under the age of eighteen shall be severely punished, and a jail sentence up to ten years can be imposed. On the other hand, BL writers are mostly women in their twenties or thirties, while the age ofits readers ranges from teenagers to readers in their thirties. Legally speaking, anyone who writes about erotic scenes in their BL works risks being punished for pro

FAQs

本文主要研究什么主题？

本文研究在中国互联网审查背景下，“耽美/ boys’ love（BL）”粉丝与相关参与者如何应对严苛的现实与反色情活动，并讨论其应对策略的多样性与差异。

文中如何处理BL作品与色情/“淫秽”之间的法律关联？

文中引用中国《刑法》第363条及相关规定，指出生产、传播淫秽作品以及涉及未成年人的情形会面临更严厉处罚，同时也讨论法律对“艺术价值”的标准缺乏明确界定。

为什么Priest的《镇魂》与Gouwazi Tianyi的案件具有对比意义？

文中通过《镇魂》的网络改编讨论作者与粉丝如何在消费文化与官方话语之间形成“圆通的协作”；再用Gouwazi Tianyi被判刑的案例呈现另一种结果与社会反应，从而引出对过时法律与父权制制度的质疑。

Aug 28, 2026

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