Being gay in China
But they did not escape social prejudice.
According to Pan, the xianggong had to resort to prostituting themselves because of their inferior social status.
But whereas female prostitutes often had a second chance at a normal life after they gave up their trade, xianggong suffered from social stigma all their lives. Their descendants were even banned from sitting for the imperial civil examinations.
In Qing Dynasty folklore, there is a deity who looks after homosexuals. This was the famous "rabbit god", known as Hu Tianbao, a man who had been killed for stalking a handsome official.
In hell, he was laughed at, but to show that they sympathized, the gods of hell appointed him the guardian god of same-sex lovers.
This was more than an amusing anecdote, for it reflected the prevalent social attitude at that time towards homosexuality.
Chinese sociologist Li Yinhe calls social tolerance China's "cultural advantage".
In an article she wrote on how "China had been ahead in the acceptance of homosexuality but had fallen behind again", Li notes that China had, in the past, treated homosexuals with more tolerance than some Western societies which had persecuted them, sometimes to death.
She feels that the culturally confident Chinese were not afraid of accepting an alternative lifestyle, but that they would rather ignore it than oppose it.
But, Li adds, tolerance does not mean full acceptance.
Contact the writer at hanbingbin@chinadaily.com.cn.
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