Within the capital of China’s Guizhou province, Guiyang, there’s a venue you can’t miss if you’re a nightlife lover. It’s called Hum Club, and it’s located on Putuo Road, right in the heart of the city. Since 2020, the cult spot has been hosting events and drag shows, cultivating a haven for the local queer community who gather there to enjoy and participate in performances.

Recently, a college student who goes by Nima uploaded a documentary to social media, capturing the lives of drag queens in Guiyang. Through their lens, we get an intimate look at the people behind the makeup.

One such performer who goes by Cobra, when discussing the origin of their stage name, expressed a desire to embody a snake. “Snakes are always a symbol of both danger and beauty,” they said. To achieve their ideal aesthetic, Cobra shaves and applies thick layers of foundation ahead of taking the stage. It’s a process not unfamiliar to many fellow performers; there’s a saying in the queer community: The thicker the makeup and the appearance, the stronger a drag queen’s presence.

Despite being the capital of one of China’s poorest provinces, Guiyang has a surprisingly high level of acceptance for queer culture. Thanks to the city’s open and outgoing atmosphere, drag queens describe being able to walk the streets in full drag without attracting unwanted attention. However, one performer noted in the documentary that, when wearing everyday makeup while maintaining a masculine appearance, they would often receive stares. “Maybe it’s because I was too beautiful,” they comment with a smile.

Nima pictured their personal life out of stage while interviewing the drag queens backstage. Lailibuming, the youngest featured drag queen in the documentary, first experimented with makeup as a child, secretly using products from their mother’s vanity in primary school. Today, their family has seen their performances through videos. Many of Guiyang’s drag queens share similar experiences; while their parents may tolerate their drag performances, true understanding and appreciation of their identity remain difficult to achieve. 

Haiguai, another drag queen that Nima interviewed, recalled their mother thinking that they were getting dressed up as the lead performer in an “avant-garde” performance, asking, “Are you doing a stage play?”A rare exception to the generational confusion is drag queen Cherry, whose 80-year-old grandmother looked at them with nothing but admiration for their beauty and heartfelt blessings.

Most drag queens in Guiyang are not full-time performers. As night falls, they transform—applying dramatic makeup, stepping onto the stage, and dancing to art-pop music at Hum Club. In addition to the offline location, Guiyang’s queens have also established a community called Red Nest on Xiaohongshu, which serves as a platform for queer individuals who have lived in or passed through Guiyang. Just as its name suggests, Red Nest is both a shelter and a chosen family for them. If you wanna see more about these drag queens exuding their charm on stage, watch the full documentary from Nima below:

Banner Image via Xiaohongshu/RedNote.