Wednesday, 23 August 2023
A new documentary that aims to de-westernise drag performances will be screened at this week’s Manchester Pride festival. Drag Up! follows seven young, queer, Chinese people as they discover what drag is, its cultural significance and how to perform it.
Drag has become increasingly popular in mainstream culture following the hit TV show, RuPaul’s Drag Race, but its historical roots have been somewhat lost.
Dr Hongwei Bao, Associate Professor of Media Studies at the University of Nottingham, co-led the Drag Up! project with Queer China UK. He explains: “Drag is an important art form for the LGBTQ+ community. It celebrates gender and sexual diversity, community spirit and queer resistance to social norms. It derives historically from queer Black and Latino struggles and lived experiences under difficult circumstances. However, in recent years, drag has been incorporated into mainstream popular culture."
At this historical juncture, it is important to decolonise drag from mainstream Western television and popular culture, go back to its community and minority origins, and use it to empower marginalised communities with intersectional identities.
Drag has a long history in Chinese culture and is deeply intertwined with queer and trans expressions. The Drag Up! project inspired queer Chinese people to stop seeing drag as a Western art form, and to reflect on the relationship between drag and Chinese culture. Participants underwent an intense (but fun!) training programme, which resulted in a live audience show. Their journey of self-discovery was captured on film for the new documentary, which has been produced by Hongwei Bao and directed by Qianlin Wang and Felicia Jiang.
As well as charting the rollercoaster journey of the participants, the film also demonstrates how important it is to research and explore the diverse traditions of drag, for and with queer communities.
The documentary will be screened following Dr Bao’s book launch at esea contemporary in Manchester this Friday from 4-6pm. Tickets can be booked via Eventbrite. A preview of the film can be viewed here.
Notes to editors:
About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 32 in Europe and 16th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the second most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2022 report by High Fliers Research.
We lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.
More news…