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China: chun hua erotic 'Spring Picture' depicting two male lovers, mid-Qing period, mid-18th century, artist unknown

Homosexuality in China was traditionally widespread in the region. Historically, homosexual relationships were regarded as a normal facet of life, and the existence of homosexuality in China has been well documented since ancient times. Many early Chinese emperors are speculated to have had homosexual relationships, often accompanied by heterosexual ones. Opposition to homosexuality and the rise of homophobia did not become firmly established in China until the 19th and 20th centuries, through the Westernization efforts of the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China. Homosexuality was banned in the People's Republic of China, until it was legalised in 1997.

Traditional terms for homosexuality included 'the passion of the cut sleeve' (断袖之癖, Mandarin, Pinyin: duànxiù zhī pǐ), and 'the bitten peach' (分桃 Pinyin: fēntáo). Other, less literary, terms have included 'male trend' (男風 Pinyin: nánfēng), 'allied brothers' (香火兄弟 Pinyin: xiānghuǒ xiōngdì), and 'the passion of Longyang' (龍陽癖 Pinyin: lóngyángpǐ), referencing a homoerotic anecdote about Lord Long Yang in the Warring States Period. The formal modern word for homosexuality/homosexual is tongxinglian (同性戀, Pinyin: tóngxìngliàn, literally same-sex relations/love) or tongxinglian zhe (同性戀者, Pinyin: tóngxìngliàn zhě, homosexual people). Instead of this formal word, 'tongzhi' (同志 Pinyin: tóngzhì), simply a head-rhyme word, is more commonly used in the gay community.