Time: 12:30 – 14:00

Venue: Room G01, G/F, Hui Yeung Shing Building (HYS G01), CUHK

Speaker: DUAN Yawei, Gloria (Mphil. student, Gender Studies Programme and Department of Sociology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong)

Moderator: Prof. Sea Ling CHENG, Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Abstract:

Queer places in Chinese cities, where sexual minorities can explore and practice their identities and sexual citizenships, have received scholars’ attention, particularly about the spaces for gay activities. In contrast, the spaces occupied by lesbian communities are typically transient or non-physical (e.g., online spaces), and thus have garnered less study focus. However, in the past decade, lesbian bars have gradually claimed their own physical, fixed spaces in some Chinese cities, where Bar Ts have become the central objects of consumption. “T” or Tomboy refers to lesbian women who embody more masculine appearances and behaviours, while “Bar” indicates that their role revolves around intimate labours within the bar settings, including hosting, singing, dancing, entertaining, flirting, and potentially sexual services. This study seeks to explore the operational strategies of Chinese lesbian bars, the intimate labours occurring in these spaces, the gender performances, and identities strategies of Bar Ts.
By adopting an ethnographic approach, this study plans to conduct in-depth interviews with ten participants who have extensive experience in Chinese lesbian bars. The primary focus will be on individuals who have worked as full-time staff as Bar Ts, and the sample will also include full-time staff as Bar Ps, lesbian bar managers (or owners), as well as customers who primarily focus on Bar Ts. Through these interviews, the research aims to gain a nuanced understanding of the lived experiences, social dynamics, and cultural practices within these lesbian-oriented spaces. The ethnographic methodology allows for a contextual and immersive exploration of the interplay between the lesbian communities in mainland China, Shenzhen and Hong Kong, situated within the broader economic and political relationship between these cities.

Speaker’s Biography: Gloria Duan is an MPhil student in the Gender Studies Programme at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Her research interests include gender and sexualities, lesbian communities in China, lesbian sex work, LGBTQ+ social movements, and feminist ethnography. She is currently working on the lesbian bar and lesbian sex works in mainland China, focusing on the gender performance and intimate labours of the “bar T”(台T).

Language: English

Registration: https://cloud.itsc.cuhk.edu.hk/webform/view.php?id=13707984