Sexuality and Gender Variations in Traditional Chinese Folk Literature

Despite popular literature forming a relatively minor body of literature as compared with serious literature, folk literature in premodern China is also seen as a vital heritage in the literary history. Most folk stories described a mythical sequence, and some served allegorical functions for the masses. Unsurprisingly, some of these literary tropes contain various hidden representations of sexuality and gender issues, including homosexuality, gender segregation, and sexual identity reversal. Though constrained by the limitations of the translation process, to a certain degree differences between conceptions of gender and sexuality in Chinese and Western traditions may be hinted at. The variations typical of Chinese popular literature may be depicted by referring to different interpretations of such conceptual ideas in three example folk stories, Flowers in the Mirror, The Butterfly Lovers and Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio.