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When it comes to LGBTQ+ representation, recent Chinese media may unexpectedly be producing some of the most potent and nuanced content out there. The 2019 live-action television series produced by Tencent Penguin Pictures NSMG, The Untamed, is one such example, focusing on the emotionally complex relationship between two cultivators (practitioners of martial or mystical arts), Wei Wuxian (played by Xiao Zhan) and Lan Wangji (played by Wang Yibo), and their adventures unraveling the dark past that changed both their lives forever.
What is ‘The Untamed’ About?
Based on the internationally best-selling series Mó Dào Zǔ Shī (otherwise known as The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation) written by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu, also known as MXTX, The Untamed focuses on the resurrection of Wei Wuxian, an infamous figure who died after being scorned by the cultivation world and is mysteriously resurrected 13 year later in a new body with no explanation for his sudden revival. Stumbling across his old classmate Lan Wangji, an esteemed and stoic cultivator of the Lan clan, Wei Wuxian finds himself embroiled in a deep mystery marked by murders, tragedies, and betrayals. Though in a new body, Wei Wuxian is pushed by the events of his past to uncover the secrets of the present alongside estranged companion turned ally, Lan Wangji. Along the way, Wei Wuxian unravels new truths from his past life, coming to realize that Lan Wangji, the man he thought he once knew, is far more complicated than he realized.
What is Xianxia and Danmei?
One of China’s most popular live-action speculative fiction historical drama series, The Untamed is defined by two of its most classic genres, Xiania and damei. Xianxia (which directly translates to “immortal heroes” in Chinese) genre is a subsection of Chinese fantasy influenced by Taoism and various Chinese mythologies, belief systems, and martial arts. The series’ focus on its main characters’ relationship with each other has led it to be also classified as part of the danmei cannon, a genre of Chinese literature that focuses on the homoerotic and homoromantic relationships between male characters.
While China’s censorship laws have prevented the television adaption from incorporating the story’s more explicitly romantic and sexual scenes, The Untamed itself presents a masterclass example of queer-coding that evades the ever-annoying trope of queer-baiting, otherwise known as the marketing technique in which creators hint at, but then do not depict, actual queer representation.
Throughout the series, various techniques of Chinese storytelling and allusions to romantic Chinese culture are deployed to depict the less than purely platonic relationship between Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji. Examples of this include how Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji almost exclusively refer to each other by their birth names, Wei Ying and Lan Zhan, a courtesy granted to those who are emotionally familiar with each other. What’s more, emotional intimacy is emphasized in scenes in which Wei Wexian constantly touches Lan Wangji’s headband, a symbol of his clan that bears significant meaning in that it can only be touched by its wearer’s “fated one” or family. The show goes further in lifting direct scenes from the books that touch on the romantic nature of the two men, including “three bows” (or kowtows), one to the heavens, one to the ancestors, and one to each other, that is often marked in traditional marriage ceremonies. Further allusions to queer Chinese subtext include the constant portrayal of rabbits, an animal many Chinese fans noted with deep LGBT+ significance, as the rabbit is seen as a symbol of queerness deferring to Tu’er Shen, otherwise known as the Rabbit God, a Chinese god/guardian of homosexual relationships.
A Loving Queer Relationship Despite Censorship
Honestly what’s most impressive about this element of The Untamed is how despite China’s censorship, its storytelling clearly emphasizes the elements of queer pining and longing written within the original books. Touch as a physical marker of intimacy is reserved within the series, each gesture a calculated motion, not unlike the language of touch seen in Regency romances. Thus, every time Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji touch each other on screen, the viewer’s breath is taken away by the sheer intensity of such moments, whether in the grasping of a wrist or in the way the two physically carry each other when one is no longer able to stand. The language of physical intimacy is supplemented by the actors’ excellent command of facial gestures, each prolonged moment of eye contact is a close romantic reading between these characters who literally call each other their soulmates.
What’s more, for Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji, who have been to hell and back emotionally with the political manipulations of their world, seeing their relationship marked originally by miscommunication and misunderstandings then evolving into one of fierce loyalty and comradery is truly a pleasure to see. Be it fighting for their lives against zombies and or simply sharing a quiet moment watching the snow, seeing these two world-weary souls touched by years of trauma finding finally peace with each other’s company can arguably be one of the most touching love stories out there today.
For many fans, The Untamed is an entry point both to the world of Xiania/ danmei series and to MXTX’s larger body of work, which not only includes The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation (which also has an animated adaption in addition to a live-action adaption) but also their other written works such as The Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System and Heaven’s Official Blessing. Thanks to the likes of Seven Seas Entertainment, an American publishing company responsible for releasing the official English translations of MXTX’s works, more English-speaking readers have been introduced to the author’s work, and thus their adjacent adaptions. And now thanks to the likes of international streaming services like Netflix, more viewers outside of China can catch new and exciting Chinese media like The Untamed.
All in all, if you’re looking for excellent queer-coded relationships based on canonically queer materials wrapped in a historical fantasy package, then there’s no better example right now then The Untamed. If you want a show with brilliant acting, interesting world-building, and plenty of gay pining, you need to check out this Chinese historical drama.
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