A search for fun, love, or equality. Boys’ love fiction and fans in China

      Аннотация: In this research the author addresses the phenomenon of female fans’ fascination with online boys’ love fiction in China, and the discussion centers on the questions of why these women are interested in the boys’ love theme, why they prefer boys’ love over traditional heterosexual romance, and how they define and identify with male-male relationships in the boys’ love fiction. Through focusing research on a popular Chinese online-fiction website catering particularly for female readers (www.jjwxc.net), the study uses historical review, online observations, and content analysis of online boys’ love fiction to collect data and find some explanations concerning above-mention research questions. Through understanding female fans’ expectation of and attitudes towards love and romance and analyzing the content of boys’ love fiction, this research allows for a comprehension of the interactions of gender, sexuality, identity, and culture in shaping these women’s practice and choice of boys’ love genre in China.

Ключевые слова: China, cyberspace, Boys’ love fiction, Female fans