Cinema Love by Jiaming Tang

January 16, 2024

Cinema Love by Jiaming Tang

After he was caught with another man, Old Second left his village in rural China and went to Mawei City to work at the clothing factories. At the local workers' cinema, he found other men like him, and he also met Bao Mei, who worked at the cinema selling tickets. But being gay is illegal in communist China, so as the oppression grows, Old Second marries Bao Mei and they leave China for the United States. They settle into New York's Chinatown and find a community of men like Old Second, gay men who have married women to provide a cover story for themselves and hide in plain sight.

A complex story that revolves around a set of inter-connected characters, each with their own story and shared emotions: grief, loneliness, shame, sadness, desire. There is a lot to absorb here: the shame and oppression that gay men are subjected to in both China and the United States; the loveless marriages that their wives tolerate; emigrating to the U. S. and living in poverty while trying to survive and stay under the radar. A difficult story to read but wonderful writing and language.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

New York's Chinatown