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Loving strangers, avoiding risks: Online dating practices and scams among Chinese lesbian ( lala ) women

Tao, Han (2022) — Media, Culture & Society

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DOI: 10.1177/01634437221088952 (opens in a new tab)

Type:   Journal Article
Country:   China
Tags:   AI-Enabled Fraud, Chinese Lesbian Women, Douban, Online Anonymity, Online Dating, Pig Butchering, Platform Policy, Romance Scams, Trust, Wechat
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Synopsis

            
This publication examines how Chinese lesbian/lala women use online spaces to seek long-term intimate relationships amid rapid economic reforms and a shifting moral landscape. Tao analyzes online dating experiences through 16 in-depth interviews and ethnographic fieldwork conducted in Guangdong between 2018 and 2019, complemented by virtual observation on Douban Group and WeChat. The study centers on two digital platforms, Douban Group’s “les sky” and the WeChat ecosystem, and situates online dating within broader concerns about trust, anonymity, and the social boundaries between strangers and kin. The author shows that online anonymity and “stranger sociality” produce both opportunities and risks for queer women. Respondents prize the ability to connect with others who share similar cultural tastes and social backgrounds, yet they increasingly judge potential partners by indicators of “suzhi” (quality) and moral reputation. At the same time, online dating is viewed as uncertain and sometimes dangerous, notably due to romance scams such as Shazhu Pan pig-butchering and Mai Chaye schemes, which have targeted lesbian communities and often involve fabricated personal histories, false socioeconomic claims, or marital status. The research also documents tensions around privacy, coming out, and the strategic masking of status (married or parent) to improve dating chances, as well as the complexity of forming conjugal bonds that are reliable and emotionally meaningful. In conclusion, online queer spaces can both enable and constrain new forms of intimacy for lesbian/lala women in urban China. The findings highlight how morality, social status, and trust are negotiated under neoliberal pressures and state-influenced modernity, with online anonymity offering protection but also creating conditions for deception. The study notes that online platforms are not simply erotic spaces or cultural clubs, but dynamic sites where risk, vulnerability, and the pursuit of reliable love intersect in contemporary Chinese queer life.

          

        
                  

            
Identified Gaps

            
Research on lesbian online dating in mainland China is described as especially sparse, and risks faced by Chinese lesbian/lala women are rarely acknowledged. The paper also notes that queer victims of online love scams receive little public and police attention. Evidence is needed beyond this urban Guangdong sample to assess how scam experiences, reporting, and platform protections vary across queer populations and settings.

          

        
                  

            
Methods

            
Qualitative ethnographic study in Guangdong Province, China, conducted from June 2018 to July 2019. The author used 16 in-depth interviews, virtual participant observation on WeChat and Douban Group, participation in a Guangzhou lesbian WeChat group and three offline gatherings, and ongoing friendship-based engagement. Participants were recruited through WeChat and the lesbian-themed Douban group “les sky.”

          

        
                  

            
Limitations

            
The study draws on 16 respondents aged 22–36 living in Shenzhen or Guangzhou, recruited from WeChat and Douban lesbian networks. Its findings therefore provide contextual qualitative accounts rather than prevalence estimates or broadly representative evidence about Chinese lesbian/lala women, online fraud victims, or queer communities outside urban Guangdong. Scam accounts also include forum narratives and field observations rather than independently verified case records.

          

        
                  

            
Future Work

            
Further research should examine how same-sex platforms can address their perceived unreliability, including identity verification and background-check mechanisms, while protecting queer users' privacy. Research should also investigate the limited public and police attention to online love scams affecting queer people.

          

              

    
    

        
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