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Queer Love Sparked a Chinese Martial Arts TV Series That Inspired Me
Word of Honor: Hearts Bind in the Storm
Like most Chinese kids, I had a martial arts dream when I was young.
This dream began with the endless stream of martial arts dramas on TV. These shows were usually set in fictional worlds or distant dynasties, filled with an ancient charm. The heroes were often highly skilled, able to leap across rooftops, fly through the air, and fight for justice. They rarely worried about making a living or bending to authority, living free and thrilling lives.
Another captivating aspect was that these heroes always had several close female companions. They admired each other, wandering and falling in love, their feelings deepening through their battles against evil forces. It was sincere and incredibly romantic. Their legends spread throughout the martial world, how could you not envy that?
But in these dramas, without exception, the relationships were always between men and women. Bonds between people of the same gender were usually glossed over with the term ‘friends,’ leaving little room for further imagination. As I grew older, the challenges of the real world distanced me from the martial arts realm. Then, in 2021 the television serial drama Word of Honor appeared, pulling me back into that…
