In ancient China, prostitutes were ranked in various levels, with the highest being “hua kui”(花魁). But do you know that male prostitutes (nan guan,男倌) also had distinct rankings?
In the ancient homosexual novel “The Untold History of Longyang,(《龍陽逸史》)” the levels of male prostitutes were often mentioned. Male prostitutes could be divided into four levels: Tianzi shangshang (highest,天字上上號), Dizhi shangzhong (second highest,地字上中號), Renzi zhongxia (third,人字中下號), and Hezi xiaxia (lowest,和字下下號).
There were two main criteria for ranking male prostitutes: age and appearance/skills. Regarding age, it was the most critical standard for determining the rank of male prostitutes. Essentially, male prostitutes were considered a disguised counterpart of female prostitutes.
Based on age, male prostitutes were divided into four levels:
Initial Hair Growth(初蓄髮)
Fourteen-year-old male prostitutes whose male physiological features were not yet apparent, and their skin was delicate and smooth like a virgin’s, were considered first-class.
Shoulder-Length Hair(披肩)
Slightly older, around seventeen to eighteen years old, with emerging male characteristics, were ranked second.
First Topknot(初擄頭)
Men in their early twenties were ranked third.
Old Topknot(老扒頭)
By twenty-four or twenty-five years old, they reached the physiological limit for male prostitutes and were ranked lowest. At this age, unless exceptionally talented, they were no longer sought after in the pleasure quarters.
Wangjin(网巾)
After twenty-four or twenty-five, they left the ranks of male prostitutes and were referred to as “wangjin.” These individuals often found other work or stayed in the brothels as managers.
In terms of appearance and skills, from ancient times to the late Ming dynasty, the evaluation of male prostitutes was similar to that of women. The Song dynasty also had assessments of male prostitutes: “They apply makeup, dress extravagantly, excel at needlework, and are addressed as women.(傅脂粉，盛裝飾，善針指，稱謂亦如婦人。)” The same continued until the late Ming dynasty.
What did ancient male prostitutes wear?
In “The Untold History of Longyang,” male prostitutes’ attire was similar to female prostitutes: “They wore women’s clothing underneath and men’s clothing over it. When staying overnight after drinking, they would remove the outer clothing, revealing inner garments of red and purple, just like female prostitutes.（內穿女服，外罩男衣，酒後留宿，便去了罩服，內衣紅紫，一如妓女也。）”