Women's Kingdom, Xian and Asexuality

Guan Yu

Chinese mythology is abundant with LGBTQ themes. In a previous post I write Hu Tianbao, the rabbit god of homosexuality. This post is to cover the miscellany that doesn't fit into a whole post.

The Women's Kingdom is a mythical island in Tibet. It is only populated by women, women are made pregnant by the wind blowing over their bodies, and if a male child is born he dies in infancy. The only way to reach the island is by a whirlwind as the the water surrounding the island is of a density that does not support ships.

Xian are mischievous spirits, very similar to what we in the west would consider fairies or nature spirits. Xian are typically portrayed as male spirits that choose male romantic and sexual partners. The story "The Scholar and The Flower Spirit" is a tale of a human/Xian relationship. Many of these relationships end in heartbreaks, because despite how attached the Xian gets, the Xian Lord (or Lord of the Faires) often forces the Xian to end the relationship.

Guan Yu is a godlike general that is actually worshipped in China. He has a Buddhist title, Sangharama Bodhisattva and is in some circles considered a god. There are accounts of Guan Yu having no interest in woman, writers going so far as to say he "was unmoved by beautiful women". Many scholars seem to think the stories of him being uniterested in romance lean towards an orientation of asexuality. Historically, Guan Yu had 2 sons (which does not disprove his possible asexuality) and a concubine, but that may have been more of a spoils of war situation. Guan Yu died in the 3rd century C.E. so we will never know for certain, but having a god that some scholars identify as asexual is different.

LGBT themes in Chinese mythology. (2015, July 12). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 03:04, August 1, 2016, fromhttps://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=LGBT_themes_in_Chinese_mythology&oldid=671116269

Werner, E. T. (1922). Myths & legends of China. London: George G. Harrap