Romantic networks and sexual content in danmei webnovels, 2003-2021: Engaging the debate on whether Chinese boys‘ love pop culture is counterhegemonic

Using a new sociology of literature perspective to analyze a mix of quantitative and qualitative data, this study contributes to the debate on whether Chinese boys‘ love is a counterhegemonic popular culture. Western slash, Japanese boys‘ love (yaoi), and Chinese boys’ love (danmei 耽美) are constituting an emerging subculture of the contemporary world. Except for Punk (a working-class subculture) and hip-hop (a racial minority subculture), few subcultures are comparably popularized. A common theme of debate concerning subcultures is whether it is truly counterhegemonic. Gramsci recognizes the possibility of counterhegemonic popular culture. Adorno and Horkheimer disapprove of this possibility given that contemporary popular culture is inevitably commercialized. Cultural studies scholars show that it is possible because audiences can receive popular culture in counterhegemonic ways (regardless of whether their content is counterhegemonic). Current studies that argue that danmei is counterhegemonic tend to adopt this audience-based cultural studies argument. This study returns the investigative focus of this debate to content. It analyzes two aspects of the imaginary worlds of danmei webnovel narratives: romantic networks and sexual content. Based on an analysis of 397 of the most popular danmei webnovels published between 2003-2021, it finds that romantic networks turns from multilateral to one-to-one forms and that sexual content are increasingly purged. This represents a trend toward conservatism, which moderately supports the argument that although danmei may have been quite counterhegemonic in the beginning, it is becoming less counterhegemonic during the past two decades.