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Athena Chan

Bryan Chan was reading children’s books to a group of toddlers when one child asked him a question: “Why do you wear women’s clothing?”
The toddler asked because Chan, 44, was wearing a curly blond wig, a luxurious ruffle dress and a pair of eight-inch stiletto heels.
Also known as Coco Pop, Chan is one of Hong Kong’s most acclaimed home-grown drag queens.
The man behind the moniker answered the child with another question: “Have you ever played a tree, or a fish, in your school play?” The child nodded.

The conversation happened during an event at the Hong Kong Queer Literary and Cultural Festival four months ago, where Chan read the five-year-olds books on non-traditional families and gender expression.
Although drag queens are commonly considered part of queer culture, Chan says their performances have gained increasing public acceptance in recent years.
The artists are performing at venues from nightclubs to children’s events, and there are drag artists of all gender identities and sexual orientation.
“I feel that drag queen performance has become more normalised and visible nowadays,” Chan says. “A decade ago, we could only perform at private parties or gay bars, but in recent years I’ve got invitations from mainstream queer festivals, weddings, birthday parties, and some cosmetics brands.”

Brenda Alegre, a lecturer in gender studies at the University of Hong Kong, says drag queens have become internationally renowned entertainers in recent years, in part because of the TV talent show RuPaul’s Drag Race, which has featured more than 100 drag queens over 10 years.
Alegre, a transgender woman, notes China’s “patriarchal conservative” society. But she points out that male performers dressing as women is hardly alien to the regional culture, given the long history of cross-dressing in traditional Chinese opera, in which men would dress as women to play the female Dan roles.
That started during the Qing dynasty, because women were banned from performing on stage.

“So the theatre has been permissive to gender blending and gender fluidity,” she says.
Despite the growing popularity of drag queen culture, the drag community in Hong Kong is small.
“There are only about 20 drag queens at present, and among them only ten could earn from regular performances,” Chan says.
Transgender bodybuilder fights discrimination with compassion
From personal experience, he says most Hongkongers are indifferent towards drag performers, feeling neither aversion nor attraction.
But he says post-1980s parents are more open-minded when it comes to sex and gender education for their children.
“At least parents nowadays are willing to let their kids gain exposure to diversified culture,” Chan says.
“The older generation always have a negative impression of the queer community and prevent their kids from accessing related information. But [they should know] a person would not become a drag queen only by meeting a drag queen.”




Chan cross-dressed for the first time for a drag contest at a Sheung Wan gay bar in 2002. He started performing at his friend’s bars, tapping what he says were natural talents for hosting and performing, which led to a series of invitations to perform elsewhere.
It is crucial for drag artists to design their costumes and develop a personal style.
Chan, who entered the spotlight on the underground scene mimicking his favourite singer, Anita Mui Yim-fong, trained his unique fashion sense while working as a part-time assistant at couture costumes production house House of Siren in 2003.
Gradually he matured his alter-ego, Coco Pop.

It usually takes Chan more than a month to complete a new costume from scratch, and four hours to apply his make-up. The most expensive costume he ever made cost him HK$5,000, a conical corset paying tribute to Madonna’s classic stage look of the 1990s.
“It’s the fun of DIY behind doing drag that fascinates me the most,” he says.
Speaking of the secret to becoming one of Hong Kong’s most popular drag queens, Chan says: “You can only catch attention with a distinctive character. The winner [in the drag queen contest] is not the best-looking, but always the most intelligent and witty.”
While drag queens are popular entertainers, he says, they also play a role in educating people on gender stereotypes.
“Schools in Hong Kong lack sex and gender education, as they are taboo,” he says.
“I want to be a bridge linking the public, especially the younger generation, and the queer community. I want to let them know that we, as a part of the community, are no different from any other ordinary people.”


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Women and gender

Hong Kong drag queen Coco Pop says local cross-dressing performers on the rise

Bryan Chan as alter-ego Coco Pop. Photo: Handout

A picture of Coco Pop Photo: Handout

Drag queen performer, 44-year-old Coco Pop (artist name) in Sheung Wan. 10JUL19 SCMP / Nora Tam

Hong Kong singer-actress Anita Mui, 40, performs during her concert in Hong Kong November 7, 2003.   REUTERS/Stringer

New York, NY - December 5, 2018: Contestants attend Meet the Queens of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars by VH1 at TRL Studios - Image. Photo:Shutterstock

News

Hong Kong

Society

Boosted by the popularity of RuPaul’s Drag Race, the performances are increasingly normalised the world over
Bryan Chan thinks Hong Kong is starting to catch up


Boosted by the popularity of RuPaul’s Drag Race, the performances are increasingly normalised the world over. Bryan Chan thinks Hong Kong is starting to catch up.


City Weekend

Cantonese

Hong Kong culture

Hong Kong drag queen Coco Pop says local cross-dressing performers on the rise

Boosted by the popularity of RuPaul’s Drag Race, the performances are increasingly normalised the world over Bryan Chan thinks Hong Kong is starting to catch up

Boosted by the popularity of RuPaul’s Drag Race, the performances are increasingly normalised the world over

Bryan Chan thinks Hong Kong is starting to catch up