Dong Gong Xi Gong (1997, 94 min, China, Yuan Zhang)

The title of this film is the meeting place for gay men on Beijing's Tiananmen Square. Directed by a straight director, this film tends to play on the broody side. Ah Lan is a writer who frequents the gay hangout. When arrested by the policeman, Xiao Shi, Ah Lan falls deliriously for him, to the point where allows the cop to ridicule and beat him. Not what you would expect from a first date. The director tries to make a point that although being gay in China is not illegal, gay people still get harassed and threatened.

Source : Obtained from Qcinema.com

This variation on the hunter being captured by the prey may well be one of the more influential films of this decade on homosexuality, sadomasochism and drag. East Palace, West Palace is an awesome breakthrough for Chinese cinema. Set in a series of imperial parks in central Beijing -- that see a lot of gay male cruising at night -- a young writer is singled out by a guard. After a few run-ins with this one officer, the young man sets himself up to be detained (those handcuffs please!) where he taunts the increasingly interested guard through divulging his personal history and sex life. 
This film explores the links between state power and sadomasochism in a way that few would ever dare -- especially in, of all countries, China!!! With lean dialogue and steamy scenes galore (though no sex). The cinematography is powerful in juxtaposing the architectural spaces of the Manchu, nationalist, revolutionary, and current state capitalist periods. 

In the eighteenth and nineteenth century, Beijing was the most erotically tolerant of cities and had some of the densest enclaves of homosexuality in the world. Today, while homosexuality is not illegal, per se, many gay men and lesbians are repeatedly arrested for hooliganism, especially around public sex, and some repeat offenders in some areas receive long prison and even death sentences. There are some subtle statements at work about the resonance of the former tolerance of homosexuality invoked through the traditional palace architecture. This awesome film will change the face of both Chinese and gay film. 

--Gordon Brent Ingram (Border/Lines) 

Source : Obtained from PlanetOut.com