<p>An advertisement appearing to feature a same-sex couple in China has been praised by the LGBTQ community for its rare portrayal of gay relationships in the tightly-censored country.</p>.<p>China decriminalised homosexuality in 1997 but same-sex marriage remains illegal and recent years have seen a crackdown on LGBTQ activists and the wider gay community -- including on films and social media content.</p>.<p>The 23-second ad by Tmall -- an e-commerce platform owned by tech giant Alibaba -- shows a young man introducing another man to his family over the Lunar New Year holiday.</p>.<p>His father looks on curiously when the newcomer, "Kelvin", arrives at their home, and two girls giggle and exchange knowing glances.</p>.<p>The clip ends with Kelvin accepting a serving of food from his partner's father and calling him "Dad".</p>.<p>This causes the family to fall silent around the table.</p>.<p>The video has been circulating widely on social media since Wednesday, garnering mostly supportive comments from internet users.</p>.<p>Lovematters, a popular gay-themed account on Weibo, China's equivalent of Twitter, thanked Tmall for supporting the LGBTQ community, and called the video "humourous and interesting" in a post shared more than 32,600 times.</p>.<p>Raymond Phang, the co-founder of LGBTQ festival Shanghai Pride, told AFP the ad was a "brilliant idea", touching on family inclusion during an important festival.</p>.<p>Phang said, "the LGBTQ community is often not mentioned (and) has zero visibility in online content".</p>.<p>Duan, a member of Beijing's LGBTQ Centre who declined to give his full name, said other companies have also used LGBTQ themes in online campaigns, including a poster by another e-commerce firm, Dangdang, showing two men holding hands.</p>.<p>The Tmall advert is a step forward for the visibility of LGBTQ people in China, Duan added.</p>.<p>"We are glad to see that and encourage it," he said.</p>.<p>In April last year, a Beijing court dismissed an appeal against recently-enforced rules by the national media watchdog which ban gay content in film and television and describe homosexuality as "abnormal".</p>.<p>Online marketplace Taobao -- also owned by Alibaba -- in 2018 shut down shops selling rainbow flags and clothing with queer phrases.</p>
<p>An advertisement appearing to feature a same-sex couple in China has been praised by the LGBTQ community for its rare portrayal of gay relationships in the tightly-censored country.</p>.<p>China decriminalised homosexuality in 1997 but same-sex marriage remains illegal and recent years have seen a crackdown on LGBTQ activists and the wider gay community -- including on films and social media content.</p>.<p>The 23-second ad by Tmall -- an e-commerce platform owned by tech giant Alibaba -- shows a young man introducing another man to his family over the Lunar New Year holiday.</p>.<p>His father looks on curiously when the newcomer, "Kelvin", arrives at their home, and two girls giggle and exchange knowing glances.</p>.<p>The clip ends with Kelvin accepting a serving of food from his partner's father and calling him "Dad".</p>.<p>This causes the family to fall silent around the table.</p>.<p>The video has been circulating widely on social media since Wednesday, garnering mostly supportive comments from internet users.</p>.<p>Lovematters, a popular gay-themed account on Weibo, China's equivalent of Twitter, thanked Tmall for supporting the LGBTQ community, and called the video "humourous and interesting" in a post shared more than 32,600 times.</p>.<p>Raymond Phang, the co-founder of LGBTQ festival Shanghai Pride, told AFP the ad was a "brilliant idea", touching on family inclusion during an important festival.</p>.<p>Phang said, "the LGBTQ community is often not mentioned (and) has zero visibility in online content".</p>.<p>Duan, a member of Beijing's LGBTQ Centre who declined to give his full name, said other companies have also used LGBTQ themes in online campaigns, including a poster by another e-commerce firm, Dangdang, showing two men holding hands.</p>.<p>The Tmall advert is a step forward for the visibility of LGBTQ people in China, Duan added.</p>.<p>"We are glad to see that and encourage it," he said.</p>.<p>In April last year, a Beijing court dismissed an appeal against recently-enforced rules by the national media watchdog which ban gay content in film and television and describe homosexuality as "abnormal".</p>.<p>Online marketplace Taobao -- also owned by Alibaba -- in 2018 shut down shops selling rainbow flags and clothing with queer phrases.</p>