We often refer to women who sell their bodies as prostitutes. In fact, men who sell themselves as prostitutes have existed since ancient times, as long as they are prostitutes. But for male prostitutes, history seems to be silent, and there are few records in historical materials. This is because in the feudal society of China, under the rule of the sense of husband power, the society despised and hated men for selling their sex and bodies, and thought that the phenomenon of male prostitutes was a great insult to the status and dignity of men in feudal society.
In ancient China society, male prostitutes first appeared to satisfy the status and wealth of aristocratic women. Here, there are records about Wu Zetian playing with "face first" everywhere. In order to seduce the Zhang brothers and entertain themselves, Wu Zetian thought it was bait, and also set up a "crane control prison" to attract the beautiful men in the world, known as "the top three thousand"
According to historical records, the princesses of the Southern and Northern Dynasties said to Liu, "Your Majesty and I are different from men and women, but they were both born by our ancestors and should not be thick. There are thousands of beautiful women in Qian Qian in your palace for you to have fun alone, and I only have one promise, which is unfair! " Liu thought it was reasonable, so he personally selected 30 extremely fit men for his sister to have sex with.
It can be seen that the popularity of male prostitutes in ancient times far exceeded our imagination, especially from the Five Dynasties to the Song Dynasty. The prosperity of male prostitutes not only exists in the court, but also in the people, which makes us modern people lament the "openness" of our ancient ancestors.
The workplace of male prostitutes is called "beehive", which probably means attracting bees and butterflies. "Return to Heart and Miscellaneous Knowledge" records: "... this style of Wu custom (referring to male prostitutes) is particularly serious." It is said that these male prostitutes are "all smashed to pieces" and are beautifully dressed. "They are like women, too." These handsome men are not only good at writing, but also good at chess, calligraphy and painting. Women in the "hive" are not only seeking physical pleasure, but also seeking spiritual relaxation. At that time, women didn't have to sneak to such places, just like some women's exclusive clubs today. Indeed, with some young, beautiful and elegant men, why not let these upper-class women linger!
However, although the atmosphere of male prostitutes is prosperous, it can't be elegant after all, especially some rogue men who are idle in society, relying on their beauty, harass and disturb the people and corrupt the social atmosphere. Therefore, in Hui Zong (Huizong period), legislation was enacted to arrest men, stipulating that once found, whistleblowers should be "beaten 100" and "rewarded with 50 strokes".
Although male prostitutes were despised by the mainstream society in ancient times, even severely cracked down, a bit like today's anti-pornography and illegal publications, but there is demand, there is a market. Therefore, in the Song Dynasty, the male color in Kyoto and surrounding counties and cities was still prosperous, and it seemed to decline slightly in the Yuan Dynasty. In the Ming dynasty, male color began to flourish again. At that time, it was a fashion for both the emperor and the common people to treat male prostitutes.
In the history books, there are a lot of records about male prostitutes in Fujian in the Ming Dynasty. "Deng Yu Qian Kun San" said that there was a woman in Fujian. Her husband was in distress at sea, and the woman missed him. Every night, she goes to the seaside to see the distance where her husband goes to sea. There is a beautiful man singing by the sea. Sad Sang Song woman's yearning for her husband. Later, the woman moved in with this handsome man. The woman moved her heart and wanted to marry a handsome man. But the handsome man said that he is dedicated to sending lonely women away from loneliness, and he is not affectionate about money. This woman was very sad and lonely, and died of depression.
The male prostitute industry in Fujian was very developed in the Ming Dynasty. These people who sell their bodies serve both men and women. At that time, there was a custom in Fujian that men could not go out to sea with women. On the one hand, due to the frequent maritime pirates in the Ming Dynasty, there were women on board and they were even more threatened. In addition, there is a superstition that women are unlucky on the boat. A sea trip is usually ten days and a half months, sometimes even half a year. In order to solve sexual hunger, young and energetic men will find some beautiful men who are in the same boat. In fact, these beautiful men are all male prostitutes. Although you can earn some money by going out to sea, it is very bitter after all. Some lazy but somewhat handsome men make a living simply to satisfy other people's sexual hunger and thirst. And the prostitute who didn't go out with the boat waited on the woman who lived alone on land without any delay.
Why were male prostitutes so developed in Ming Dynasty? "Five Miscellanies" said well that male prostitutes are not only played by women, but also for powerful men who like homosexuality. History books call this kind of male prostitute Toy Boy, masculine, urchin, pedophile and so on. The author introduced it in another article "Which emperors in ancient China were gay". During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, homosexuality became a common practice in Fujian, Guangdong and Peiping. Women have "tired friends in the boudoir" and men have "brothers and sisters". There was also a decree in the Qing Dynasty that "descendants of actresses, even men who were forced to be traitors, were not allowed to take the imperial examinations". This provision indirectly explained the prevalence of homosexuality at that time.
However, a bloody man is unwilling to be "masculine". Talia Liu's Essays said that Li Er was a captive, handsome and brave. When fighting, you always take the lead and be sharp. Later, he was captured alive by the enemy. The enemy generals were very fond of this handsome and brave prisoner and "wanted to make out with him", but Li Er was determined and committed suicide. There is a poem that records this history: "When Qin Gong flies at the bottom of the flower, he is the first to enter the tight encirclement every time. Poor little blood did not return to the loyal team. "
"Warm pen end" cloud: Zheng De in the early Ming Dynasty, the emperor liked "young and handsome" beautiful teenagers best. Such a prevailing atmosphere seems to have something to do with the preferences of those in power. The emperor's fornication not only ruined state affairs, but also violated ethics. As for the special provisions of the later court, gradually, the trend of promoting male prostitutes began to decline.