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Introduction
China is one of the oldest countries in the world, with a history spanning more than 5,000 years. So why is it that you don’t hear much about homosexuality and queer relationships in China? Part of that has to do with the culture of ancient China and Western influences that erased the history of gay people. Similar to the rest of the world, gay people have always existed—the difference is how societies dealt with their queer history. So let’s talk about the queer history of ancient China!
Records of Homosexuality
Similar to homosexuality in ancient Greece, same-sex rituals and activities occurred in China between men of different socioeconomic classes. It was not looked at the same way our modern world perceives sexuality. It was part of the culture but not widely discussed. One Western chronicler, Galeote Pereira, recorded instances of prostitution in Beijing where young men were bought and taught the art of dance, music, and other skills related to being a host, similar to geishas in Japan. Due to China being very patriarchal, records were essentially all written by men for men, so records of same-sex relationships between women were scarce, if not non-existent.
Factors of Same-Sex Relationships
When it came to the power balance of same-sex relationships between men, the hierarchy was dictated by three different factors: gender, age, and status. Women were already seen as socially inferior to men at this time, so when relationships occurred between two men, other factors such as age and status determined the roles in both a sexual encounter and social encounter. It was not always a romantic relationship—there were instances of political marriage.
What is a "Cut Sleeve?"
The term “cut-sleeve,” or duàn xiù, was coined by historians based on the story of the late Emperor Ai of the Han Dynasty. The story goes that Emperor Ai had a lover named Don Xian. One afternoon, in order to not disturb the sleeping lover on his arm, Emperor Ai cut off the sleeve from his robe. Thereafter the term “cut-sleeve” was used by historians as a euphemism for men loving men. The term 斷袖之癖 (duàn xiù zhī pǐ) translates to “the passion of the cut sleeve.”
Being Gay in Modern China
Despite the somewhat cute story behind the term “cut-sleeve,” having one of the largest dating apps geared towards gay and bisexual men, and claiming to support same-sex rights at the UN, China is still a difficult place to live for LGBTQ individuals. While there are organizations and cities known to be LGBTQ-friendly, there is still a stigma around the topic of queer people in China. Even with the younger generation being more accepting, advocates in China still face obstacles from the government and older generations, so the fight for the queer community in China is still ongoing. But, one last reminder for everyone: there have been and always will be queer people in China, changing the world one separated sleeve at a time.
References
Daily JSTOR. (2020, June 10). In Han Dynasty China, Bisexuality Was the Norm.
Deck, A., & Yang, W. (2021, August 27). To survive, China's biggest gay dating app became a pharmacy. Rest of World. https://restofworld.org/2021/china-bluecity-healthcare-dating-apps/
Hinsch, B. (1990). Passions of the Cut Sleeve: The Male Homosexual Tradition in China. University of California Press. https://www.amazon.com/Passions-Cut-Sleeve-Bret-Hinsch/dp/0520078691