The big takeaway that I got from this short story was that being homosexual was considered to be a sickness, and a crime, and was just overall not accepted in Chinese culture. People were arrested or were sent to mental hospitals to be treated even though there is no cure for this “disease.”
In the past, I have asked my mother, hypothetically, whether or not she would be okay with me being gay, and she told me no because it is not considered “normal.” Now, with the world changing and becoming more accepting, I am wondering if this is also changing within the culture; whether or not they have been more accepting and supportive of homosexuality, and whether or not they still consider it to be a disease.
I found it really interesting how Beina was so willing to get married and stay with Baowen even though she knew that he was not into girls. You can definitely see the loyalty and respect between Beina and Baowen considering how well Baowen treats her, and how Beina was so willing to go against what her father wanted and wait for Baowen, even after he had later on gone to jail.