What elderly Swiss lesbians can teach China

A book showcasing the lives and loves of 70-year-old Swiss lesbians in the second half of the 20th century could soon be published in Chinese and may encourage a more open discussion in China of homosexuality. Qiao Mu (not her real name) has translated “After that night I was spellbound” by Swiss author and historian Corinne Rufli. She is thrilled by the stories of the elderly Swiss protagonists. “Despite concrete differences, the social situation of Chinese women today is to a certain degree comparable with that of Swiss women in the 1950s and 1960s,” Qiao Mu told swissinfo.ch. “With their experiences they could maybe offer Chinese readers a new perspective.” In her book, published in German last year, Rufli wanted to tell the stories of older lesbians and thereby create a sensitivity and awareness for different ways of living. She also wanted to draw attention to the fact that “there’s a lot more to being a woman than our narrow views”. What’s more, she adds that ...