BY WAN YEUNG
Photo: Nico Pang
Long before modern LGBTQ+ categories existed, same-sex desire and fluid gender expressions quietly- and sometimes openly – threaded through Chinese history and literature. Today, the Los Angeles-based queer and trans Chinese performance collective Passion of the Cut Sleeve is bringing these hidden histories into the spotlight.
Founded by Nico Pang, Monica Chen, and Zo Shay, the collective reimagines legendary Chinese tales through theater, drag, poetry, and traditional music. Their upcoming performances run November 7 (5 PM and 8 PM) and November 8 (2:30 PM) at the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Davidson/Valentini Theatre.
Rewriting Tradition Through a Queer Lens
Rather than forcing modern identities onto the ancient past, the collective uses classic narratives to challenge rigid boundaries:
- Desire and Marriage: Named after Western Han Emperor Ai (25–1 BCE), who famously cut his robe rather than wake his sleeping lover Dong Xian, the story of Cut Sleeve highlights historical same-sex intimacy. Yet, as historical records show, these relationships often coexisted with conventional heterosexual marriages, like Dong sharing his life with both the Emperor and his wife.
- Love Within Patriarchy: In Li Yu’s 1651 drama The Fragrant Companions, two women forge a deep, passionate bond, ultimately realizing their shared future by marrying the same man—navigating within a patriarchal, polygynous system.
- Cross-Dressing & Fluid Genders: In Butterfly Lovers, Zhu Yingtai disguises herself as a man to study, prompting Liang Shanbo to grapple with his attraction to someone he believes is another man. Meanwhile, Legend of the White Snake blurs the lines of devotion and romance between the white snake and Green Snake, a dynamic historically open to queer interpretation.
- Childhood Nostalgia: For music director Zo Shay and many who grew up watching the 1992 New Legend of Madame White Snake, the iconic theme song evokes fond memories alongside questions of gender confusion—especially given that the male lead, Xu Xian, was famously played by actress Cecilia Yip.
Beyond reinterpreting classics, the collective commissions original works by queer artists, creating a vibrant space for modern storytelling rooted in cultural tradition.
Want to go?
- When: November 7 at 5 PM & 8 PM | November 8 at 2:30 PM
- Where: Davidson/Valentini Theatre, Los Angeles LGBT Center
