Passions of the Cut Sleeve : The Male Homosexual Tradition in China / Bret Hinsch; ed. by Bret Hinsch.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hinsch, Bret, Author.

Contributor:

Hinsch, Bret, Editor.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Lesbianism--History--China.

Lesbianism.

Lesbianism--China--History.

Male homosexuality--History--China.

Male homosexuality.

Male homosexuality--China--History.

Men.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (256 p.) ill

Place of Publication:

Berkeley, CA : University of California Press, [1990]

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

The first detailed treatment of the Chinese homosexual tradition in any Western language, Passions of the Cut Sleeve shatters preconceptions and stereotypes. Gone is the image of the sternly puritanical Confucian as sole representative of Chinese sexual practices-and with it the justification for the modern Chinese insistence that homosexuality is a recent import from the decadent West. Rediscovering the male homosexual tradition in China provides a startling new perspective on Chinese society and adds richly to our understanding of homosexuality.Bret Hinsch's reconstruction of the Chinese homosexual past reveals unexpected scenes. An emperor on his deathbed turns over the seals of the empire to a male beloved; two men marry each other with elaborate wedding rituals; parents sell their son into prostitution. The tradition portrays men from all levels of society-emperors, transvestite actors, rapists, elegant scholars, licentious monks, and even the nameless poor.Drawing from dynastic histories, erotic novels, popular Buddhist tracts, love poetry, legal cases, and joke books, Passions of the Cut Sleeve evokes the complex and fascinating male homosexual tradition in China from the Bronze Age until its decline in recent times.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Note on Chinese Transliteration and Pronunciation

Table of Chinese Dynasties

Acknowledgments

Introduction

1. Peaches, Pillows, and Politics Zhou Dynasty (1122 to 256 B.C.)

2. Cut Sleeves as the Height of Fashion Han Dynasty (206B.C. to A.n. 220)

3. Powdered Jade Three Kingdoms and Six Dynasties (220 to 581)

4. Men of the Misty Moon Tang and Song Dynasties (618 to 1219)

5. Popular Indulgence and Bawdy Satire Homosexuality in Humor

6. Husbands, Boys, Servants Yuan and Ming Dynasties (1264 to 1644)

7. Reflections at the End of a Tradition Qing Dynasty (1644 to 1912)

Epilogue

Appendix: Lesbianism in Imperial China

Notes

Glossary of Chinese Terms

Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Stonewall Book Awards (nominated), 1991

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 09. Dez 2023)

ISBN:

0-520-91265-9

0-585-13073-6

OCLC:

1414456635