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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
World
Helen Sullivan

China’s ‘rotten girls’ are escaping into erotic fiction about gay men

The cover of the english translation of Heaven Officials Blessing, one of the most famous examples of China’s danmei or ‘boy’s love’ literature.
The cover of the english translation of Heaven Officials Blessing, one of the most famous examples of China’s danmei or ‘boy’s love’ literature. Photograph: Seven Seas

“The hand around his waist held him tighter, their bodies pressed closer together, and Xie Lian’s struggling hands were firmly folded and crushed against his own chest; unable to move. His lips were still securely sealed, the kiss deepening, and a stream of gentle, chilled air slowly passed through.”

A god kisses a ghost king, and a love story, movie deal and KFC sponsorship are born. The kiss appears in the book Heaven Official’s Blessing, a danmei or “boys love” story. Danmei is romantic fiction about men or male beings – ghosts, foxes, even a mushroom – falling in love, written almost exclusively by and for straight women and is the most popular genre of fiction in China.

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