Archive Breathing Project
What Is the Archive Breathing Project?
Giving archives the power to breathe, and letting history flow.
The Archive Breathing Project is a long-term cultural and archival initiative to support and build the Queering China Archive. Guided by the idea of “letting archives breathe,” it focuses on the histories, memories and experiences of LGBTQ+ communities in the Chinese-speaking world, gathering fragile, overlooked and scattered stories of existence. Through preservation, activation and dissemination, it helps voices that were once ignored or silenced be heard again.
In short, the project sets out to:
Preserve: systematically collect and organize historical materials, personal stories and cultural records of Chinese-speaking LGBTQ+ communities
Activate: through research, exhibitions, writing and public events, make sure archives are not just stored, but understood and used
Share: bring these memories into today’s public conversations, connecting generations and communities
It is not only an archival undertaking but also a form of cultural action — leaving traces of Chinese-language queer history, reclaiming agency and keeping these voices heard.
We’re collecting materials for the archive — send us your submissions: curatorial@outmuseum.org
Queering China Archive
The Archive Breathing Project is a long-term cultural initiative to help build the Queering China Archive, dedicated to preserving, activating and disseminating — and giving new voice to — LGBTQ+ history and memory in the Chinese-speaking world.
We let long-buried stories breathe again and be known, so that archives are no longer static but full of life: we gather fragile, overlooked, scattered and nearly forgotten stories — giving them air, visibility and future audiences.
Background
Squeezed in recent years by systemic historical revisionism on one side and heteronormativity on the other, the histories and memories of Chinese-language queer communities find it ever harder to locate places where they can be stored and shared. OUT Museum is committed to creating spaces that transcend borders, time and every other limit, so that connections can be built again.
Vision
As members of and allies to the diasporic Chinese queer community, OUT Museum focuses on queer history in China while actively seeking connections with Chinese and Chinese-speaking queer people around the world. We approach “queer” and “archive” as practices, preserving and activating Chinese-language queer memories and individual voices.
Visit the archive: queeringchinaarchive.org
Become an Archive Breathing Project Patron and Help Build the Queering China Archive
Why Your Donation Matters
Chinese-language queer archives face:
A lack of funding
No institutional home
The risk of being lost, suppressed or erased
Exclusion from academic and public cultural institutions
What Your Donation Supports
Preservation & Digitization: professional preservation of endangered photographs, letters, audio recordings, film and objects.
Oral Histories & Memory: recording living voices before they are forgotten.
Access & Education: exhibitions, talks, digital archives and bilingual educational resources.
Research & Scholarship: supporting scholars, students, artists and cultural research.
Future Archive Development: building a sustainable queer archive that can be passed on.