Spread Forex Z Eur No 1 Records of Same-Sex Love and Lust in Chinese History and Tradition - ColorQ Articles Etc

1.1. Woman-woman marriage-like ceremony in the Golden Orchid Society of Guangdong (Canton)

"A Record of the Customs of All China" by Hu Pu'an, first published in 2 volumes in 1773-1774, contains the following account of Golden Orchid Associations, women-only associations that practiced marriage-like ceremonies among its members. This custom was practiced by women in the Canton (Guangdong) province of China:¹

The practice of the Golden Orchid Oath is known by the common name of "Heart-to-heart Friends" and also called "Making Friends". It is not known when this custom started... If two parties have mutual intentions towards each other, one party would prepare peanut candy, honey dates and other things as an offering of honor, to express (her) intentions. If the other party accepts, she makes a promise to indicate her assent. A refusal of the gift indicates a "no".

At the time of executing (their) vow, if the parties have (sufficient) resources, they will invite many friends over to drink through the night. And these friends also come in droves to congratulate them. After the writing (of the contract), (the parties) are practically each other's shadow in sitting, lying down, rising, and living. Even Liang Hong and Meng Guang could not have surpassed their joy.² Once the vow is established, if (one or more of the parties) have a change of mind, and are thought to have turned (her/their) backs on (her/their) oath, the female collective would rally as a punishing army, often beating and humiliating (the offender/s); it is almost their custom (to do so).

胡朴安《中华全国风俗志.广东》：

金兰契俗名夸相知，又名识朋友，其俗不知始于何时......如双方颇有意，其一方必先备花生糖、蜜枣等物为致敬品，以为意思之表示。若其他方既受纳，好为承诺，否则为拒绝。至履行契约时，如有积蓄者，或遍请朋侪作长夜饮，而其朋侪，亦群往贺之。写后坐卧起居，无不形影相随，曾梁鸿、孟光不足比其乐也。契约既经成立，或有异志，即以为背约，必兴娘子军为问罪之师，常备殴辱，几成一种习惯法。

Golden Orchid members still existed in immigrant Chinese communities (including Singapore) into the earlier half of the 20th century. (Most members are probably deceased by the 21st century) Not all association members pair up with another member. Many women just live as part of the female collective. Some Golden Orchid members are heterosexually married in name, but spend most of their lives away from their husbands.³

Notes:

1. 金兰契 The Golden Orchid Oath: CTFS/JLQ.htm

2. Liang Hong and Meng Guang were a famous husband-and-wife from the Eastern Han era. They are traditionally regarded as an example of the ideal husband/wife relationship. The fact that Hu Pu'an compares the Golden Orchid woman-woman couple favorably against them suggests that he sees the Golden Orchid pair-bonding as equivalent to marriage.

   Liang Hong was a reclusive scholar of high morals and great talent. He supported himself as a swineherd while conducting his studies. Many rich and powerful families admired his character and wanted him for a son-in-law, but he refused them. In the same county lived a woman named Meng Guang. She was dark, fat and ugly. In addition, Meng Guang was surpassingly strong - she could lift a stone mortar with one hand. Up to the age of 30, she still refused marriage. When parents asked her why, she stated firmly that she only wanted to marry a man of Liang Hong's calibre. When Liang Hong heard of this, he was very surprised, and married her. They went on to live a poor but happy life as hermits in the mountains.

   See "梁鸿高逸 Liang Hong's outstanding and high-minded character" longbook/his/1109920504_zhongguodimai/54.shtml

3. 自梳女与不落家 "Self-combing" women and the "never-home" wife: social/shixiang/2002-10-23/807403.html

   中国写真：最后的自梳女 一生未嫁不恨男人 China Portrait: The Last "Self-combing" women - unmarried for life but without hatred for men: t/2004-04-29/54629.html

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1.2. Man-man marriage in Fujian (Hokkien)

The Ming dynasty author Shen Defu wrote in "Miscellaneous Musings of the Humble Broom Bookroom":¹

Recently, the "oath sons" phenomenon is catching on. The situation is usually such: some strong adult males have a strong sex drive, so they spend a great deal of money to marry extremely good-looking youths. They establish the bond of the quilt and the coverlet with them. Those arrangements in which the 'father' lives apart and houses several youths in various secondary lodgings are foremost in disorder and sin. I heard this practice started with pirates, as in: The Ocean forbids the presence of women in the crew. Ships with women would be sunk. So they replace (women) with male favorites; and they honor the great and strong (pirates) by addressing (them) as "oath father" ...

The Fujianese take male-male eroticism very seriously. Regardless of his social standing, each man bonds with another man of his own social class; the older one is known as the "sworn older brother" and the younger one is known as the "sworn younger brother". When the older brother enters the home of the younger, the younger brother's parents love him as a son-in-law. In the future, when the younger brother starts a business or marries a wife, the older brother helps pay for the expenses. Those who love each other thus still lie together as spouses after the age of 30.

沈德符 《敝帚斋余谈》：

近乃有称契儿者，则壮夫好淫，辄以多金娶姿首韶秀者，与沟衾裯之好，以父自居，列诸少年于小舍，最为乱逆之尤。闻其事肇于海寇云，大海禁妇人在师中，有之辄遭覆溺，故以男宠代之，而尊豪刚遂称“契父”。 ...

闽人酷重男色，无论贵贱，各以其类相结，长者为“契兄”，少者为“契弟”。其兄入弟家，弟之父母抚爱如婿，弟日后生计及娶妻诸费，俱取办于“契兄”，其相爱者，年过而立者，尚寝处如伉俪。

Unlike the woman-woman traditional unions, men's traditional unions were not intended to be lifelong bonds exclusive of heterosexual marriage.

Notes:

1. 从皇帝到庶民的男风 Male-male eroticism from the emperors to the commoners shenghuo/jiankang/ldl-zggdxwh/052.htm

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2.1. Lord An Ling and King Xuan of Chu

An excerpt from Book of the Warring States:¹

Jiang Yi spoke to Lord An Ling, saying "You have no land and no blood kin (in the Kingdom of Chu) and yet you have a high position and a generous income. On seeing you, there is none in this kingdom who does not tidy his/her clothes and adjust his/her cap and bow down to you. Why is this so?" An Ling replied, "The king has promoted me beyond what I deserve. Without (his favor), I would not be where I am."

Jiang Yi spoke, "Those who make friends with money will lose their friends when their money runs out. As for those who build relationships using their beauty - when the flower wilts, love will cease. This is why female sexual favorites never stay long enough to wear out their sleeping mats, and favored courtiers don't stay around long enough for their chariots to need repair. Today, you hold power in this country, but yet you have nothing with which to tie the king to you. I am worried for your well-being." Lord An Ling asked, "Then what should I do?"

Jiang Yi said, "I hope you will request to follow the king in death. Use your body as a sacrifice. This way, you will be respected in the land of Chu for a long time to come." An Ling replied, "I will respect your command."

Three years passed without An Ling speaking of the matter. Jiang Yi met with him again and said, "Up to now, you have not executed what I told you to do. If you will not use my plan, then I request that I not be asked to see you again." Lord An Ling said, "I did not dare to forget your words; I simply did not have the opportunity to do what you had suggested."

It came to pass, that the King of Chu was touring Yunmeng. The horses and carriages in his entourage numbered at a thousand, and their banners were so many that they blocked the sun. The burning brush fire seemed as a rainbow, the tigers' roaring sounded like thunder. A crazed wild ox came close to the chariot wheel. The king himself drew his bow and shot it, killing it with one arrow. The king pulled up a banner with one hand and held the head of the ox in the other, raised his face to the heavens and laughed, "What a pleasure is today's tour! After ten thousand years and a thousand autumns, who will share this pleasure with me?"

Lord An Ling shed many tears and came to him, saying, "In the palace, I sit at your side. When you go out, I accompany you in your chariot. After ten thousand years and a thousand autumns, I will test the yellow springs (the world of the dead) with my body, and shield you from the ants. What greater joy can I have?" The king was pleased and gave him the title of Lord An Ling.

People who heard about this commented, "Jiang Yi can be said to be good at strategizing, and Lord An Ling can be said to be good at seizing the moment."

战国策·江乙说于安陵君:

江乙说于安陵君曰：“君无咫尺之地，骨肉之亲，处尊位，受厚禄，一国之众，见君莫不敛衽而拜，抚委而服，何以也?”曰：“王过举而已。不然，无以至此。”

江乙曰：“以财交者，财尽而交绝；以色交者，华落而爱渝；是以嬖女不敝席，宠臣不避轩。今君擅楚国之势，而无以深自结于王，窃为君危之。”安陵君曰：“然则奈何?”江乙曰：“愿君必请从死，以身为殉，如是必长得重于楚国。”曰：“谨受令。”

三年而弗言。江乙复见曰：“臣所为君道，至今未效。君不用臣之计，臣请不敢复见矣。”安陵君曰：“不敢忘先生之言，未得间也。”

于是，楚王游于云梦，结驷千乘，旌旗蔽日，野火之起也若云霓，虎嗥之声若雷霆，有狂兕（牛羊）车依轮而至，王亲引弓而射，壹发而殪。王抽旃旄而抑兕首，仰天而笑曰：“乐矣，今日之游也!寡人万岁千秋之后，谁与乐此矣?”安陵君泣数行而进曰：“臣入则纶席，出则陪乘。大王万岁千秋之后，愿得以身试黄泉，蓐蝼蚁，又何如得此乐而乐之。”王大说，乃封坛为安陵君。君子闻之曰：“江乙可谓善谋，安陵君可谓知时矣。”

Notes:

1. 《谋略与雄辩宝典- 战国策 精华全解析》· 江乙说于安陵君 The Best of "Book of the Warring States" Explained - Jiang Yi advises Lord An Ling xstj/zgcjx/1403.htm

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2.2. Mizi Xia and King Ling of Wei

Mizi Xia is one of the most well-known icons of male homosexual love in antiquity. Later, the term "love of the divided peach" “分桃之爱”, originating from an incident between Mizi Xia and King Ling of Wei, was used to refer to male-male love. This incident was recorded in 《韩非子·说难篇》 and 刘向's 《说苑》.¹

An excerpt from The Collected Articles of Han Feizi", Essay 12 - Shuonan":²

There was a certain Mizi Xia who had the favor of the King of Wei. The law of Wei stated: "Whoever drives the king's carriage without permission will be punished with feet amputation." Mizi Xia's mother fell ill. Someone came and informed him during the night. Mizi secretly drove the King's carriage to go (to see her). When the King heard of it, he praised Mizi Xia, saying, "How well brought up he is! For the sake of his mother, he disregards the sentence of amputation!" Another day, Mizi Xia was touring an orchard with the king. He tasted a peach and found it sweet. Since he had not finished the peach, he offered the remaining half of it to the king to taste. The king said, "How much he loves me! He disregards his own appetite so that I can have a taste!" Later, Mizi's looks faded and the king's love declined. He offended the king and the king said, "In the past, he rode my carriage without permission, and also gave me a leftover peach to taste." Mizi Xia's conduct in later times did not change from his behavior in the beginning. He was judged worthy previously and then judged guilty later because of the change in the king's favor.