Dear Fellow Tongzhis:

I just returned from China. I visited Shanghai, the biggest and the most modern city, and Hangzhou, the most beautiful. It was a tiresome, but also exciting and emotional trip. I saw so much in s short time that I really don't know where to begin to tell you my experiences. I will write about them in my future articles.

Back to our CRA activities at hand. Don't forget our first rap session in a long while. Raps are very important to us psychologically and mentally. They allow us to express ourselves fully in a supportive environ, and share other tongzhis' experiences and ideas. They can raise our consciousness about our psyche and the roots of our actions. It is the best way by which we understand ourselves, get rid of our unwanted hang-ups, and become

psychologically healthier and ultimately happier. Besides, after the rap, for those who want to , we can go to a nice restaurant to enjoy ourselves and further our bonding. What better way to spend a Sunday afternoon?! So please contact me for exact directions to the rap venue.

May and June are the traditional annual Pride months. Let's go to the Long Beach Pride en masse to celebrate our heritage. By the way, the L B. Pride is a super event, not to big as to be impersonal or too small, with hardly any attitude. The sea breeze keeps the weather there mild, and did I say that the boys there are HOT? So please contact me for volunteer work. Thank you.

Happy Gay May Day, and see you all personally at the May events.

Andre' T.

JOINT GAPSN CLASSIC/CRA DINING OUT --- THE BEGINNING OF A NEW TRADITION

By Andre' T.

On Sunday, April l5, CRA joined forces with GAPSN Classic to hold a dining-out event in Monterey Park. With 8 seafood and vegetarian dishes, including 2 huge live lobsters, the diners had the most delicious Cantonese cuisine at an unheard-of price. Plus it was a member's birthday, complete with a large specially-ordered birthday cake from a well-known Chinese bakery. Everyone thought the whole event was great and memorable. So we decided to have another such dinner soon.

And why not? Many Classic and CRA members don't cook a lot at home. We might as well go out and let others do the preparation, cooking, and cleaning up. Many of us can afford to be epicureans for a day (or indulging queens for a night).

Actually for quite some time, some GAPSN leaders and we had been wanting to co-sponsor some joint Classic/CRA events. Such dining-out events should be a great starting -point. From the reactions of the participants there in April, Henry L. of Classic and I will certainly collaborate on many more future dinners. I suggest the next one to be on Sunday, June 10. Please watch for the announcement on our June's newsletter for details.

Gay Scenes in Guangzhou by LZ

I just came back from a four week vacation in China. During the trip I visited Guangzhou a couple of times and checked out the gay club scene there.

There are quite a few exclusively gay clubs and bars in Guangzhou. The biggest and most popular one at the moment is Hao Hao Bar (好好吧) in Shamian (沙面). It is located along a small canal and next to the German Consulate. It’s relatively large in Chinese standard and has two stories. There is a small dancing floor on the ground level. I went to Hao Hao Bar on a Saturday night and the place was packed with probably one to two hundred people. Most of them were men in their twenties, and very trendy. Like most bars in China, there was no cover charge, but the beverages were expensive ($2-$10). Just before the midnight, there was a live performance and the singer was quite good. After that there was disco dancing. Once inside the bar, it was hard to tell it from any WeHo bars, except most people there were Chinese and very good looking. My friends in Guangzhou told me that some “business” transactions were frequently going on in gay bars, but I didn’t see any at Hao Hao Bar. Everybody seemed to just want to have a good time and they did.

I also went to the newly opened Apple Bar (苹果吧) in Tianhe District (天河新区). It caters to the same crowd as Hao Hao Bar. It also has two stories with no dance floor. Again, very cute guys. There is a Lesbian bar (乐乐吧) very close to Apple Bar, but it’s being transformed into a straight bar.

All in all, the gay life in China is developing very fast. In big cities, one can usually find a vibrant, albeit underground gay nightlife. More and more Chinese gay people are coming out in various ways. When you go to China next time, don’t forget to check out the local gay life. I assure you it will be very rewarding.