In the past 4 months, I've buried myself in creating this short doc on China's stunning underground queer ballroom scene. There's so much love and support in the community. I hope this vid brings you as much joy as it did for me:
.@yilingliu95 has made her wonderful debut! Our video editor, the incomparable Jose Flores created something magical from an ocean of footage we filmed. Special thanks to @KarishmaTV and @thomson_craig for indulging me to chase this story that makes many ppl feel seen.
Some additional thoughts on queerness, China, and myself: I teared up watching the final cut, for the beauty, courage, and fun that I never got to experience as a queer person in a place where I grow up 1/
And there have been LOTS of discussions on the authority's toxic masculine narrative of eliminating "sissy pants" and "emasculated men". But here's the thing: the community has agency—much like every generation of queer folks searching for their own space 2/
Everybody mentioned POSE (cc: @theebillyporter @PoseOnFX), the unanimous inspiration for the birth of the ballroom scene. 3/ 
But it's more than that. Like ballrooms everywhere, participants draw their own cultural references. This year, a popular source is Romance in the Rain 情深深雨蒙蒙. The song has stuck in my head for MONTHS 4/
In the ball, I saw Eileen Chang's novel Red Rose, White Rose 红玫瑰白玫瑰, '80s white rabbit candy 大白兔奶糖...It's what's mundane that's moving: Why haven't I seen these cultural references through a queer lens? Why did many of us have to learn queerness from Will & Grace? 5/
Up until now, no major international houses have established a presence in China (lots of mentors, fathers & mothers came from the classic legendary houses, though). China's ballroom scene grows largely in isolation, with all houses here being relatively informal kiki houses 6/
But the burgeoning scene has attracted newcomers and audiences. Fenty Beauty sponsored the Shanghai voguing event. Within the community, there are concerns and discussions about the allure and danger of swift commercialization 7/
Again, thanks for watching this doc. It's been particularly tough to go through the news these days. But as long as such humanity and community exist, there's something in the world that's worth it./END
Also the inimitable @thejamham deserves an individual shoutout for the amazing, nuanced writing that highlights so much important details from ‘80s OG ballroom scene to present-day China’s LGBT community❤️🌈🦄
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