ABSTRACT
In the 1990s, Chinese Millenials were nutured by globalized Japanese manga, anime, and games. The circulation and consumption of these forms resulted in the birth of Chinese Erciyuan (二次元, Second Dimension) culture, and later, Erciyuan Millennials became the actors and audience of Cosplay, which has thrived and, in less than two decades, become the most popular cultural practice in the Chinese cultural industry. Apart from the development of Cosplay, a spatial shift can be observed in the display of this particular culture: from home to parks, from parks to shopping malls and theaters. The varied spaces have reshaped the ways Cosplay is practiced, forms of Cosplay performance and utilities, and the strategies of these spaces. Based on fieldwork undertaken in Beijing in 2008, 2010, 2012, this chapter explores what led to the transitions of spaces and how it effected practices of Cosplay in terms of the choice, utilization, and negotiation of spaces as well as the creation of Cosplay practices.
