Our special series "Beyond the Wall", deals with the breakthroughs in mindset that are leading China's next round of reform and opening-up. In this episode, we look at attitudes towards lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgenders --the LGBT group. As our reporter Han Bin finds out, while there's growing acceptance of different lifestyles, there's still a long way to go to break through the walls of social prejudice.

AH-PING MU, BALLET MASTER PING'S DANCE GROUP, BEIJING "Being gay or homosexual, they are facing a lot of pressure, and a lot of prejudice."

RUAN RUAN, MEMBER BEIJING QUEER CHORUS "So there's no way for them to express their status and get their equal rights."

AH-PING MU, BALLET MASTER PING'S DANCE GROUP, BEIJING "They are afraid of to come out."

RUAN RUAN, MEMBER BEIJING QUEER CHORUS "Sexual minorities are being marginalized, or not recognized by mainstream in society. Whatever your sexual orientation, your role in society is a kind of voice. It's reasonable for any kind of voice to exist in society. It should not be abandoned. The real harmony and tolerance should be each voice can play a role. We should not just accept a particular voice."

AH-PING MU, BALLET MASTER PING'S DANCE GROUP, BEIJING "I opened up this studio, that was two years ago. My early purpose was to have people come here to learn how to explore who you are, and then be accepted as who you are. That can lead to the really positive life. Our society needs more space, needs more and more tolerance. And we really hope that more people can really open up and really embrace it."

DUAN RONGFENG, VOLUNTEER PFLAG CHINA, SHANGHAI "We went to the United States to get married in 2015. At that time, this event was quite a big stir. Some 60% of netizens were cursing us. They asked us 'Why make a show of it?' 'Why marry abroad?' 'And why shame our parents?' I've always felt that China is more like a smoggy day for gays. There's no great risk, but it makes you feel uncomfortable. Unofficial sources say China has around 50 to 70 million gay people. PFLAG has been promoting gay rights for ten years, helping more than 100,000 people. Compared with the 70 million, this number is a drop in the bucket. I believe if we pay attention to each family, that's the positive effort to push for changes. That's the initial thinking when I volunteered for PFLAG."

LI TAO, VOLUNTEER PFLAG CHINA, SHANGHAI "After a sham marriage, I felt that kind of life wasn't what I really wanted. That was the push for me to come out. The message we must send is that even being gay, I'm still your son and nothing can change my love for you."

DUAN RONGFENG, VOLUNTEER PFLAG CHINA, SHANGHAI "On the surface, it seems our concern is only whether the LGBT group comes out. We are actually reversing some of China's deep-rooted attitudes."

LI TAO, VOLUNTEER PFLAG CHINA, SHANGHAI "Only when you can stand up and let more people know what you really need, will others understand that there's a certain group of people wanting certain rights."

HAN BIN SHANGHAI "Many people we interview say LGBT issues in China are a test of social tolerance and personal freedom of lifestyle. This community is a wedge, pushing the envelope for openness and inclusiveness. The barriers are high, but China is gradually making progress in LGBT rights."

AH-PING MU, BALLET MASTER PING'S DANCE GROUP, BEIJING "If you think that you deserve respect, you need to learn that you need to respect yourself first."

DUAN RONGFENG, VOLUNTEER PFLAG CHINA, SHANGHAI "Whether it's to push down a wall or disperse the smog, there's a lot to be done."

RUAN RUAN, MEMBER BEIJING QUEER CHORUS "A lot of people say 'I didn't break you two up, I didn't discriminate. You can live your life, and I live mine, Is that so bad?' No, that's not good. Because when we don't do something to support them, when we don't speak out our support for them to get equal rights, they will never be recognized. Every one of us needs to take one more step forward to speak out the slogans, and take action to support them. Let's push this society to be more inclusive."

AH-PING MU, BALLET MASTER PING'S DANCE GROUP, BEIJING "Our society is getting more opened up."

DUAN RONGFENG, VOLUNTEER PFLAG CHINA, SHANGHAI "There may be some timidity in these struggles within us."

AH-PING MU, BALLET MASTER PING'S DANCE GROUP, BEIJING "I can feel that it is getting more and more tolerant."

DUAN RONGFENG, VOLUNTEER PFLAG CHINA, SHANGHAI "But in order to be who I really am, I may finally overcome this difficulty. It's important that we be very true to being who we are. I think the world is colorful and we are no different from the others."