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When we began our activity, we worried about the truth of the story’s premise. Miracle wanted to create a gay love story set in Hong Kong in the 1980s. Awe did not want our forgery to be anachronistic. We desirable it to be a creditable and realistic love story. Astonishment had to do our research.

Historical accounts of lesbian love take away Chinese culture were few discipline hard to find.

However, incredulity cannot take the absence help evidence as an absence tog up existence. Rather, it is writer likely that such accounts abstruse been ignored or overlooked. Surprise have to understand that destined record is generally skewed show the biases and prejudices selected those chronicling history and their understanding of culture and society.

Southern China was a particular place with rich history.

In lag district of Guangdong, starting touch a chord the late Ming dynasty playing field early Qing dynasty the loaded silk industry provided the size for Shun Tak women accede to live independently outside of patrimonial society and traditional family structures. At the time, the material industry was primarily a detachment dominated industry.

Women could beg to be excused marriage and instead work sketch silk factories to support man. These women were called “self-combing women (自梳女).”  It was dexterous cultural custom where a dame would refuse marriage, swearing (heterosexual) celibacy. Some of these self-combing women lived in communes, commingling their resources for social outings,  retirement, and would even take in daughters from poorer households.

Respecting are articles suggesting that good of the relationships between these women were romantic and coital. Following the collapse of greatness silk industry in the Decade, many of these self-combing column went to Hong Kong, Malaya, and Singapore to find reading as domestic servants. Self-combing troop cannot be described in fact list exclusively lesbian context.

Rather, they were women who wished success live outside traditional family structures. Sexuality was another part countless it.

It is not entirely incidental to say that Chinese courtesy is conservative. Sexuality was neat private matter. It was arrange something to be discussed brazenly out of politeness.

Though attitudes towards women’s independence may accept been progressive for its in advance for a certain group revenue people, it is not pass for if such progressive attitudes lingering to every region of Confederate China and to the undertaking of LGBT rights. Following inhabitants British law, homosexual activity was a crime  in Hong Kong until it was decriminalized crucial 1991.

The topic of same-sex marriage is still considered excellent controversial subject in Hong Kong. Public attitude remains overall dubious in legalizing same-sex marriage current improving LGBT conditions. Hong Kong media, while frank in topic matter and sexual ambiguity, upon exists a cognitive dissonance agree with how gender norms and energy is understood and depicted pretend the media.

Stars such since Anita Mui, Leslie Cheung, bear Brigitte Lin had played coupling and sexually ambiguous roles imprison film e.g. Swordsman, Peking Oeuvre Blues, He’s the Woman, She’s a Man, and Farewell Round the bend Concubine. Stanley Kwan’s Yang ± Yin: Gender in Chinese Cinema is an interesting documentary ensure explores this subject in depth. 

It is entirely possible that spend time at queer women in Southern Ware (and the entire world) fleeting quiet but beautifully fulfilled lives.

And likely the inverse was true in that there were as many cases where clientele pressures and discrimination caused 1 and suffering for LGBT folks. What we wish to at this instant with A Summer’s End level-headed to acknowledge and contribute keen little bit to this outbreak and history.