ABSTRACT
After Rewi Alley’s relocation to Peking in 1952, more than ever before his public persona required a high degree of conformity. His behaviour, both past and present, had to be believed to be beyond reproach. The friendship role would allow no hint of scandal; it required a spartan and wholesome image. Homosexual activities were punishable in New China by imprisonment or even death, and public attitudes turned hostile. Although Alley had originally found freedom and acceptance for his lifestyle, now he was required to go back into the closet and present himself as a bachelor who had never married because of his commitment to the Chinese revolution.1
Alley was anxious to keep his sexuality a secret in Mao’s China; he refused to discuss it, even with his own family.2
