Gay emperor
History is Gay Coloring Page: Emperor Ai and Dong Xian
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For a $ donation, you’ll get a download this page so you can color some scenes of our favorite stories and humans featured in History is Gay episodes, and then share your completed masterpieces with us on social media using the hashtag #HIGColoringBook!
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This page depicts Emperor Ai of Han and his lover Dong Xiang, the origins of the tradition of the “passions of the cut sleeve”, showcased in Episode 3:“Mei Ai Hold Your Hand: Homosexuality in Imperial China”.
This page was illustrated by Rima Salloum:
Rima (she/her), graphic designer from France. Find me @rsgraphics13 on Instagram for my work, and @KiwyHB on Twitter for hilarity borne out of annoyanc
Queer Guilt and the Cut Sleeve
When I was an adolescent, my mother told a story about a gay emperor. This emperor, Hàn āidì, reigned from 7 to 1 BC, and was one of history’s first documented figures of homosexuality. The term Cut Sleeve, a euphemism for homosexuality in mandarin, is taken from a famous story where Emperor Han and his partner Dong Xian were napping together. The emperor had to wake up and attend a court audience, but Dong Xian was quick asleep with his head resting on the emperor&#;s drawn-out robe sleeve. Thus, the emperor used a knife to cut off the lower half of his sleeve in order to not disturb the sleeping Dong Xian when getting out of bed. The sleeve left behind an object of selfless affection. This perform of love, attachment, and connection between two Asian men is rarely ever seen in contemporary depictions of homosexual love.
During my tardy childhood, I began to consider how my sexuality and role as an Asian individual played into my position in my society, which was predominantly heterosexual and colorless. The alienation I experienced has followed me throughout my life, and
Retrospect
Journal.
Written by Kilan Duan
31/10/
While introduce 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. The emperor, regarded as the son of heaven, often had male companions. This aspect of history is rarely mentioned, yet reflecting on these relationships offers an inherent lens for understanding ancient Chinese views on homosexuality and the underlying influence dynamics within such relationships.
It is believed that care 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). According to Shih Chi, when Ying Bu was revolting, all generals and officials were anxiously waiting for Gaozu’s verdict, but he shunned all of them out of his chamber and spent ten days with his favourite eunuch, Ji Ru. When one in