Homosexuality in China has a long history, its figures ranging from emperors and scholars to commoners and entertainers, forming an ambiguous group in ancient China. Below, in historical order, are around a hundred particularly notable individuals introduced.
(1) Duke Ling of Wei and Mi Zixia, and Prince Zhao of Song
Duke Ling of Wei and Mi Zixia gave rise to the famous "shared peach" anecdote. The story goes as follows: while the lord and his minister were touring the orchard together, Mi Zixia ate a peach and found it sweet. He hadn't finished it and offered half of it to the duke. Duke Ling tasted it and found it sweet, saying, "How he loves me! He forgot his own taste to feed me." Later, when Mi Zixia's beauty faded and the favor waned, Duke Ling used this matter against him, blaming him by saying, "He once fed me with his leftover peach!" Confucius was their contemporary and once served in the state of Wei, receiving courtesy from Duke Ling. His student Zilu was related by marriage to Mi Zixia.
Duke Ling of Wei also favored Prince Zhao of Song. Prince Zhao was handsome and not only was he favored by Duke Ling, but he also had an affair with Lady Nanzi, Duke Ling's wife. Their illicit relationship was known to all. Once, when the crown prince of Wei passed through Song, the people of Song sang, "Now that your sow is satisfied, why don't you return our handsome boar?" Thus, the phrase "sow and handsome boar" emerged in later generations. A "handsome boar" refers to someone who takes advantage of a homosexual relationship with the master of the house to have illicit relations with the master's wives or concubines (the "sows").