ABSTRACT
On 14 February 2009, Valentine’s Day, a same-sex wedding took place on New Qianmen Street in Beijing, and this later became a landmark event in the history of Chinese queer activism. This chapter focuses on the cultural specificity of Chinese queer politics by examining the interactions between space and identity pertaining to the same-sex wedding event in Beijing. By analysing how the New Qianmen Street event constructs gay identities and engages in queer politics through live performances and digital mediation, this chapter highlights the importance of using performance art and digital media to communicate identity, community and social movements; it also interrogates how the production and dissimilation of queer performances function as a type of ‘soft’ political activism that can empower marginalised people and communities.
