It wasn't as gay friendly as some people claim (given that they blame Christianity and Westernisation for Chinese "Homophobia", that suggests that they are not telling the whole truth).
"In Western Han there were eleven emperors and one empress (the Queen of Gao-ti, reigned 187-180 B.C.). It is very impressive that ten of the eleven emperors had at least one homosexual lover or expressed some homosexual proclivities (Pan, 1947)...
The Ming dynasty author Zhang Jun-ying wrote a book entitled The Classic of the Human Mirror (Ren Jing ling), published in 1641, in which he explicitly portrayed homosexual behavior. However, he made a point of declaring that the "mirror” of his book’s title reflected both virtue and evil, and he implied that homosexuality was the evil his ”mirror” was intended to reflect. Even Pleasant Spring and Fragrant Character, with its explicit descriptions of homosexual behavior, implicitly condemned homosexuality. The cruelty of the punishment inflicted upon one of the novel’s homosexual characters is incomparable. In Book 2, the main homosexual character, Shan Siu-yen, was portrayed as very beautiful. Many men sought after him, risking their fortunes and remaining unmarried to earn his love. Yet the manner of Shan’s eventual demise was horrifying:
...an object like a fish-hook was forced into his [Shan’s] anus and pulled out his intestines slowly and repeatedly until his death. . .. (Translated by Ruan & Tsai, 1987)
The inclusion of this incident may have been the author's way of avoiding punishment for his detailed descriptions of homosexual behavior. It also reflected the social reaction to homosexuality during the last thousand years. Such stories were in marked contrast with the positive images of homosexuality in the ancient literature."
--- Sex in China - Studies in Sexology in Chinese / Ruan Fang Fu
"In general. the ancient Chinese had rather open and accepting views of human sexuality until the 13th century. Today, many historical references available indicate that homosexuality was wide-spread. recognized and fairly tolerated. although not fully accepted. in ancient China (Ruan 1991; Samshasha, 1997; Chou, 1997)... analysis of historical references has revealed that in ancient China, homosexuality was far from being fully accepted—although. unlike in Europe. in ancient China people were not seriously persecuted for engaging in same-sex sexual behavior (Samshasha, 1997)...
It was important for a man to get married and have legitimate offspring to continue the family line. Once that requirement was fulfilled, other sexual encounters could be tolerated: for example. wives‘ homosexual behavior in polygamous families could be an integrated part of family sexual life with the husband at the center (Ruan, 1991)...
[During] the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 A.D.), a time when the public attitudes of the Chinese people toward human sexuality were beginning to become more inhibited...
Although there are fewer accounts of lesbianism in ancient China. it was also tolerated, partly because the ancient Chinese believed that the women’s supply of Yin (the substance and/or energy which is essential for the body) was unlimited in quantity (Ruan, 1991)...
Ruan (1991) writes that lesbianism was considered inevitable and tolerated in some polygamous families. and sometimes even encouraged. An ancient sex handbook “give instructions for a method that not only allowed a man to enjoy two women at once. but simultaneously permitted pleasurable genital contact between the women" (p. 135).
The term mojingzi (rubbing mirrors or mirror grinding) is one of the traditional terms used to describe lesbian sexual behavior."
--- The Mental Health Professions and Homosexuality: International Perspectives
Also see: Balderdash: Homosexuality in Hinduism and Buddhism
Related: Balderdash: Cultural Conservatism and Sexual Immorality
Future post coming out tomorrow: Homosexuality in Ancient China (2/2)