Gay emperor
The emperor woke up first, while Dong Xian was still asleep. However, the male companion whom Emperor Wen cherished the most was his third one, a man named Deng Tong. Perhaps since emperors were involved in such relationships ancient Chinese people seldom discussed them.
Liu Ying was furious and planned to execute Shen Yiji. This emperor of history is rarely mentioned, yet reflecting on these relationships offers an essential lens for understanding ancient Chinese views on homosexuality and the underlying power dynamics within such relationships.
However, they miss the focus of the criticisms of these relationships, misinterpret the messages, and take advantage of them in their favour. When the emperor developed a painful abscess, Deng Tong would personally suck out the pus without any sign of disgust — something even the crown prince, Liu Qi, could not bring himself to do.
While present Chinese leaders may reject the idea of a diverse spectrum of sexuality, homosexuality was a customary practice among the supreme leaders of the Han Dynasty around 2, years ago. Emperor Ai of Han, personal name Liu Xin (劉欣; 25 BC [1] – 15 August 1 BC), was an emperor of China's Han dynasty.
He was also known for his gay, often wearing simple clothes made from coarse black silk. Still, some people may draw a negative conclusion here because Sima Qian wrote the stories of these male companions in the chapter of Falsely Blessed People which conveyed negative implications.
He ascended the throne when he was 20, having been made heir by his childless uncle Emperor Cheng, and he reigned from 7 to 1 BC. 4. Emperor Ai of Han Many ancient Chinese emperors had same-sex relationships and one of the most notable examples was the Emperor Ai of the Han dynasty.
LGBTQ nobility and royalty : The Han Heydey Emperor Ai was far from the only Chinese emperor to take a male companion openly
Emperor Ai lavished Dong Xian. However, even such a virtuous emperor had three favourite boys. If the emperor kills Shen Yiji, the empress dowager will seek revenge and kill you in turn. Even the greatest emperors of Han Dynasty were not immune from such stories.
Eventually, he found someone matching the description — a man named Deng Tong. The first question we have to ask is whether such overt homosexuality was accepted in ancient Chinese. As a result, Deng Tong became one of the wealthiest men in the empire.
Emperor Wen, eager to find the man from his dream, launched a search across the country. There were also several emperors and kings in Chinese history renowned for their love stories with other men: Emperor Ai cuts his sleeve Gay last emperor of the Western Han dynasty, who ruled from 7 BCE to 1 BCE, was the inspiration of the idiom “Sleeve-cutting affection,” which refers to homosexuality.
Such deep affection was unparalleled throughout history. Emperor Wen adored Deng Tong, showering him with immense wealth, including an estate worth billions and even granting him a copper mountain, along with the exclusive right to mint coins.
His loyalty to Emperor Wen was extreme. Zhao Tong was skilled in astrology and divination, while Beigong Bozi was known for his simple, altruistic nature. We could talk endlessly about the romantic relationships between emperors and their male companions.
It is believed that affection towards boys, which was practiced by 10 emperors out of 12 in the Western Han Dynasty, all started from the very first one: Liu Bang, who was honoured as Gaozu an honorific title given to emperors after their death and to those emperors who created dynasties in Ancient China.
The emperor, regarded as the son of heaven, often had male companions. Reigning in the 1st century BC, he had a celebrated love affair with Dong Xian, a minor court official whose closeness with the emperor propelled him to become one of the most influential figures of his time.
The defining feature of this man in the dream was that his belt was tied at the back.