Hong Ru (閎孺) (also Hong Yu, Hong Jiru) (fl. c. 190 BCE) was the favorite companion of the Chinese

Emperor Hui of Han Emperor Hui of Han (; 210 BC – 26 September 188 BC), born Liu Ying (), was the second emperor of the Han dynasty. He was the second son of Emperor Gaozu, the first Han emperor, and the only son of Empress Lü from the powerful Lü clan. Em ...

. He and the emperor were also reputed to possibly be lovers. Hong Ru had much influence with the emperor, and his dress and

cosmetics Cosmetics are substances that are intended for application to the body for cleansing, beautifying, promoting attractiveness, or altering appearance. They are mixtures of chemical compounds derived from either Natural product, natural source ...

were imitated by other courtiers in an attempt to impress the

emperor The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...

. These noblemen began wearing feathers in their hats, powdering their faces, and dangling sea shells from their clothes. Hong Yu was documented by China's Grand Historian

Sima Qian Sima Qian () was a Chinese historian during the early Han dynasty. He is considered the father of Chinese historiography for the ''Shiji'' (sometimes translated into English as ''Records of the Grand Historian''), a general history of China cov ...

Sources

*''Homosexuality and Civilization'' by

Louis Crompton Louis Crompton (April 5, 1925 – July 11, 2009) was a Canadian scholar, professor, author, and pioneer in the instruction of queer studies. Biography Born to Master Mariner Clarence and Mabel Crompton, Crompton received an M.A. in mathemati ...

References

LGBTQ people from Imperial China Male lovers of royalty 2nd-century BC Chinese people {{China-bio-stub