Crystal Boys

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Crystal Boys (孽子, pinyin: Nièzǐ) is a novel written by Pai Hsien-yung and first published in 1983 in Taiwan. In 1988, this novel went into circulation in Mainland China; its French and English translations were published in 1985 and 1989.

Nièzǐ means literally sinful sons or sons of sin, but it may also be an allusion to a passage in the Mencius, in which "friendless officials and concubine's sons" (孤臣孽子) reach positions of power because they have learned to live with a dangerous status.

A movie called Outcasts was based on this novel in 1986. In 2003, the material was adapted by Taiwan Public Television Service Foundation into a miniseries, which has gained great attention in the gay community of both mainland China and Taiwan.

[edit] Plot summary

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The story takes place in 1973 (the time period of the most recent film adaptation was moved forward from the 1960s Taipei of Pai's novel), and follows a short period in the life of a young man called Li-Qing (李青,nicknamed A-Qing).

When A-Qing is expelled from his school because of "scandalous relations" with school janitor Zhao Ying (趙英), his father kicks him out of the family home. A-Qing begins to hang out at a park called "New Park," a gay cruising area and hangout for gay men, where he meets the novel's other primary characters.

The story focuses on A-Qing's struggle between himself, his family and a society where homosexuality is taboo.