Fridae

At last, China's lesbians have something to sing about.

A young woman, who has already won fans for running Beijing's hottest and longest-running dyke bar - has released her first single.

"Ai bu fen" (爱不分), which means love does not discriminate, is the first openly lesbian song in the People's Republic, a country where homosexuality has long been fettered by tradition and the pressure to marry.

The single makes Qiao Qiao, who has been with her girlfriend for three years, China's first out lesbian artist. With her sharp, pretty face and cropped hair, the 28-year-old strikes an alternative pose in the otherwise straight-laced world of Chinese pop.

"The first time you hear it you might think it's sappy," she says. "But then when you listen again and again it grows on you."

"Ai bu fen" was released over the Internet last month, tagged as "a song of brave love." Two stick-figure girls holding hands under a heart make up its icon.

The song is available on popular Chinese web portals Sina.com and Tom.com and has been a big hit in lesbian chat rooms. In sharp contrast to its relatively conservative society, China has a vibrant online gay community.

"This is a real lesbian story, a real melody," writes one chatroom contributor who calls herself No Wonder. "I hope everyone supports it."

The brains and courage behind the project is Wang Yidian, a director at NMG, Qiao Qiao's record company. Wang, who is also lesbian, started the ball rolling about five months ago by contacting gay Taiwanese songwriter Hou Hua and asking him to write a song for dykes.

"When we were in the recording studio I started crying," Wang says. "I know lots of lesbians will feel the same way. The words really touch you."

The lyrics talk about one woman's feelings for another girl and how this is no different from other kinds of love.

"Love has no right or wrong," the lyrics run. "Love is not affected by rumours, I will never stop looking for you, You are my everything."

But 'Ai bufen' is not just for lesbians, stresses Wang. "It is about how love does not discriminate. And that could be about age, country, anything and not just sexuality."

Qiao Qiao has recorded a video to go with the song which is available online and has been broadcast on domestic TV. But in contrast to its openly gay marketing online, the MV (music video) is far more subtle.

The story follows two ballerinas as they come to realise they are in love. But with no overt sexual or romantic content a non-gay audience may interpret their relationship platonically.

"Online media is much less traditional so we felt free to launch it as a song for lesbians, but we couldn't make the lesbian content explicit for TV broadcast," explains Wang. "It just wouldn't be okayed for broadcast."

The two actresses in the video - Nizi,22 and Zi Shang, 24 - say they only recently started thinking about becoming lesbian.

Doe-eyed and sylph-like, they pull their long hair into loose pony tails. On screen they are lovers, but how about in real life?

"No way!" jokes Zi. "I prefer somebody more boyish."

Nizi says she has been with her first girlfriend, a T (for tomboy), for about one month.

"I think Qiao Qiao is really brave to come out," she says. "And I really wanted to support her by helping with the MV."

On screen, the two girls hold hands, share sips from a water bottle and muck about on a beach. In one clip one of the girls rests her head tenderly on the other's shoulder, but that's as steamy as it gets.

It is inconceivable, Wang says, that they could show the two girls kissing on screen.

But to local lesbians the message is clear. The kiss is most definitely there.

Watch Ai Bu Fen (Love No Difference)