Chinese Pink Markets

In contemporary Chinese societies, queer needs and desires are perceived as cash cows by corporations and marketers. Starting from the late 20th century, businesses have been increasingly targeting Chinese tongzhi as a niche market. This interest in the Chinese pink market is fueled by the stereotype of the double-income, no-kids “rich gay” as well as market research predictions of a large but closeted Chinese tongzhi consumer population. For example, marketers estimate that the LGBTQ population in China is the largest in the world—with an estimated 60– 70 million people—which is bigger than the entire population size of many countries (Doland, 2014). Further, the market research industry estimates that the value of LGBT-linked spending in China is between $300 billion and $500 billion dollars (Wakefield, 2020). Corporations and marketers regard these statistical estimates as evidence of a hidden, wealthy consumer market waiting to be mined for profit (see, e.g., Juan, 2016). In the following paragraphs, the definitions and terminologies most frequently encountered in research on the Chinese pink market are first clarified. This is followed by an overview of the historical accounting of the relationship between market economy and tongzhi subject formation. The article concludes with a discussion of the commonalities and divergences in research writings on China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan pink markets as well as future research directions and methodological considerations.