This is worth more than 1000 words.
They are bold. It is comforting to know there are women who are not afraid of displaying affection in public. The lesbian (or la-la) scene only grows stronger in China. Pretty exciting, being here to witness the birth of a queer movement, ever so small and strictly social as it is, a movement nonetheless.
After my friend Dan Washburn posted this photo on the Shanghaiist, this already popular photo with the flickr community, went from 150 views to 794. Not bad, but many folks were disappointed when they clicked to see more girls kissing and found some nights shots of Beijing. So, I decided to open up my archive and post the other two photos that went along with this one, just for added perspective.
The photo was sent out December 2005, to the LesinShanghai group list, and I thought it was simply fabulous. It brighten my day being reminded of the Chinese women out there kissing in front of Mao Zedong, the revered Communist leader and the rise it gave the Red Guards, who are not exactly sure what to make of the two. As the witness the photo opportunity, the two guards have an air of confusion and embarrassment, with a hit of excitement. After a boring day watching tourists stroll by snapping every corner of Tiannemen Square, it has to be mildly exciting to see two women kiss.
Based on Tiffani's description, #1 Faghag and Shanghaiist contributor, of nightlife for lesbians, queer women are never without a place to meet and definite out of the gay shadows. Of coarse, still a far cry from having a strictly women's establishment, with men paying higher cover, it is a start. Few big cities boast of a all women's bars, most owners want to broaden their clientele to include gay friendly folks and the gay boys. However, gay men have no shortage of bass thumping, classy cocktail lounges to choose from, and that divide is easily explained by the lack of women willing to go out, drink and prowl for hot-ties...regularly.
Still, it is a big step for China, and clearly Shanghai is making the biggest wave, to allow (loosely used) women centered events. In Kunming, the scene is a hidden and there is a defined "in" group of women that produce the events and keep the chat lines busy around the clock. Most meeting happens over the Internet and it is easy to miss out on most events for the lack of Chinese. Kunming used to have a AIDS education stage (Cai si)that would reserve the 1st Friday night of the month for drag king performances and dating shows, but soon faded as the AIDS education office closed.
Now, the dates and places roam as quickly as girls meet and dump each other, in the small circle Kunming supports. Kunming's la-las are not hidden, just hidden enough that a surface glance will certainly miss the lesbians, mixing into the background.
Indeed bold...but they kissed there intentionally?
hi there ！！me again.
Nice to be a (would-be)frequent here.
I also taught IELTs, to earn pocketmoney.
HK life is intense and people are rushing to countless deadlines, which is a really out-of-breath terror ...thus i miss KM a lot.However, I am here a student,and life is much simpler.No boss...at least.
Posted by: fishicy | October 24, 2006 at 04:16 AM
fishicy,
Of coarse they are doing it intentionally, but it is symbolic.
Shannon
Posted by: Shannon | October 24, 2006 at 07:30 AM
hey shannon-i'm happy to see that you are doing so well in China. how's it going? i'm doing ok, not much to mention and at the same time way too much just to mention. check out my myspace page and you can catch up with me in your own time.
i can't help but to comment on your pic, very cool! i do know a few women in albuquerque that would say china and albuquerque have a lot in commen. there are much more men in the gay clubs than women and it is frustrating for my friends. maybe i will open burque's 1st gay women bar hmmmm....
Posted by: anthony slim | October 24, 2006 at 09:57 PM
Hey slim,
Great to hear from you. Well, I would like to know exactly what the similarities between Albuquerque and China are...because those sound like a great top ten list that I should know.
as for the 1st gay women's bar...go for it! it will be a great excuse for me to get out to new mexico.
Shannon
Posted by: Shannon | October 25, 2006 at 01:21 AM
HI Shannon!
Great site! I'm glad that you're still having a lot of fun.
Posted by: Wendy Stockstill | October 25, 2006 at 03:02 PM
Hey Wendy,
Fun is my maiden name.
Shannon
Posted by: Shannon | October 25, 2006 at 11:11 PM
Ahhh, seems like just yesterday we were searching the streets for "Lesbos" in Seoul.
Posted by: Laurie | October 26, 2006 at 09:49 PM