TOT

Yang Zhen (China) - Destination

In the Beijing underground scene, 'Destination' is a well-known gay bar. It is a popular meeting place for the queer community, but has to operate on the sidelines to survive. In China, sex is not talked about openly anyway, let alone homosexuality. Officially, China pretends to be neutral. The reality, however, is that homosexuality is taboo, in history, art, politics, and society as a whole.

In the wake of the country's economic globalisation, China's youth is beginning to view gender norms differently. Those who are different are slowly becoming more accepted. At the same time, Chinese society is changing so rapidly that social norms and political repression constantly clash with the desire for more openness. That is why a bar like Destination cannot operate too openly. With this performance, Zhen opens the doors of these and other gay bars around the world for us. Destination shows how secret and overt love and sexuality coexist and clash.

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