Hybrid Queer Space: Negotiations of Surveillance in Chengdu[PGR]

In the context of hegemonic heteronormativity in Chinese society, public spaces regulate gender and sexual expressions, often marginalizing non-heterosexual and gender non-binary identities. Heterosexual norms render queer experiences invisible and suppressed in public spaces.

However, the rise of digital platforms - from web-based media to locative and multiplatform applications - has reshaped how individuals engage with both physical and digital spaces, especially in urban settings.

Scholarship concerning hybrid queer spaces continues to flourish in Western contexts. In China, however, there is a notable paucity of knowledge regarding how queer individuals in non-first-tier Chinese cities utilize digital technologies to participate in, practice, and produce urban queer spaces.

Addressing this gap, this paper presents the self-reported experiences of 45 adult Chinese queer males living in Chengdu, China. Through biographical interviews, respondents reminisced about strategies for participating in, operating, and producing hybrid queer spaces under the social surveillance in the digital era.

They illustrate how digital platforms act as social infrastructures that mediate access to invisible physical queer spaces while also creating social networks that transcend geographical constraints. This research provides fresh insights into how digital technologies mediate social interactions, identity formation, and spatial production within marginalized communities.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Hao Wu is a PhD student in the Department of Geography at University College London (UCL). His interdisciplinary research explores the intersections of gender, digital media, and urban space in contemporary China. Focusing on intergenerational queer male communities in Chengdu, his work examines how digital-physical (hybrid) spaces are produced and navigated in everyday life. It highlights how queer agency emerges through dynamic negotiations of identity, surveillance, and belonging.

ABOUT THE PGR WORKSHOPS

MCI’s PGR workshops are lunchtime seminars held in person at the Manchester China Institute. They seek to bring together students, faculty, and staff who can best provide feedback as postgraduate researchers develop their ideas. Free lunch will be provided.

Accessibility

The MCI is a listed building and therefore does not have any lifts. Please note that you must use the stairs in order to access the venue and the toilets.

Photography

The organisers will be taking photos during this event. If you prefer not to be included in any photos, kindly inform the organisers before the event starts.