''Lala'' () is a non-derogatory Chinese slang term for

lesbian A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...

, or a same-sex desiring woman. It is used primarily by the

LGBT+ ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is an ...

community in

Mainland China "Mainland China" is a geopolitical term defined as the territory governed by the People's Republic of China (including islands like Hainan or Chongming), excluding dependent territories of the PRC, and other territories within Greater China. ...

, though the term has origins in the Taiwanese term for lesbian, ''lazi'' (). Beginning in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, ''lala'' communities started to form in urban areas of China, such as

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

and

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...

, using bars and online chatrooms to connect. In 2005, a group of young self-identifying ''lalas'' in Beijing founded '' les+ Magazine,'' China's first and only

queer ''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are not heterosexual or cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against those with same-sex desires or relationships in the late 19th century. Beginning in the lat ...

women's magazine''.'' Despite legal restrictions in China over LGBT issues, ''les+'' has found subscribers in all 23

Provinces of China The provincial level administrative divisions () are the highest-level administrative divisions of China. There are 34 such divisions claimed by the People's Republic of China, classified as 23 provinces (), five autonomous regions, four munici ...

as well as several countries abroad. The slogan printed on the magazine's first issue read: "After the darkness fades away, I’ll be holding your hand, walking under the sunlight with pride, boldly and happily living our lives!" In 2012, Lucetta Kam Yip-lo, an assistant professor at

Hong Kong Baptist University Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) is a publicly funded tertiary liberal arts education, liberal arts institution with a Christian ethics, Christian education heritage. It was established as Hong Kong Baptist College with the support of Ame ...

(HKBU), published the book '' Shanghai Lalas: Female Tongzhi Communities and Politics in Urban China.'' Kam's monograph features interviews with 25 Chinese ''lalas,'' female bisexuals, and trans women living in Shanghai, most of whom were women in their twenties from urban areas.

Origins

The term ''lazi'' first entered the Mainland Chinese lexicon through Taiwanese writer

Qiu Miaojin Qiu Miaojin (; 29 May 1969 – 25 June 1995), also romanized as Chiu Miao-chin, was a Taiwanese people, Taiwanese queer novelist. Qiu's fictional works are "frequently cited as classics", and her unapologetically lesbian sensibility has had ...

's novel ''Notes of a Crocodile'' (1994), which features a central character named Lazi. Chinese individuals identifying as lesbian have since favoured the term ''lala'' to describe their sexual orientation.{{Cite web, url=http://www.timeoutbeijing.com/features/LGBT/32487/Chinese-queer-slang.html, title=Chinese queer slang, last=Group, first=SEEC Media, website=www.timeoutbeijing.com, language=en, access-date=2019-02-20

References

Chinese slang Lesbian culture in Asia LGBT rights in China LGBT in China Sexuality in China Lesbian slang