Regulation, Visibility, and Invisibility: A Study on the Representation of Same-Sex Elements in Mainstream Chinese Films Post-2010

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-611-6_110How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Same-sex Films; Censorship System; Representation Strategies; Gaze Theory; De-sexualization

Abstract

This study systematically examines the representation practices of same-sex elements in mainstream commercial films of the Chinese mainland in the 2010s. This research finds that under the regulatory framework established by policies such as the “General Provisions for the Production of TV Dramas” in 2016, film creators have developed a complete “safe grammar”: by fragmenting and functionalizing the length of the film, same-sex elements are strictly confined to the periphery of the narrative; by de-sexualizing the camera and avoiding gaze, their emotional expression is stripped away; by constructing a text-safe zone through metaphorical and ambiguous dialogues; and at the narrative level, they achieve a thorough de-qualification and mainstream value incorporation, transforming it from a social issue into a narrative tool. This study employs a comparative case study and qualitative text analysis method, analyzing multiple films such as Hello Mr. Billionaire, Successor, and The Dead End to reveal these strategies. The core theoretical contribution of this article lies in operationalizing the tension between the individual and the structure as a dual-game nested system that includes both internal aspects (same-sex desires of individuals vs. social/family norms) and external aspects (creators vs. review system), and critically extending Mulvey’s Gaze Theory to “heterosexual hegemonic gaze” to analyze the visual mechanism of internalization of regulations. The research shows that this highly conscious self-discipline and compromise, although giving the same-sex elements limited visibility, also solidifies stereotypes and completes the safe incorporation of sexual minorities.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Jiwei Gui
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/07
TI  - Regulation, Visibility, and Invisibility: A Study on the Representation of Same-Sex Elements in Mainstream Chinese Films Post-2010
BT  - Proceedings of the 2026 12th International Conference on Digital Humanities and Frontiers in Social Sciences (DHFSS 2026)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 1018
EP  - 1030
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-611-6_110
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-611-6_110
ID  - Gui2026
ER  -