Hong Ru (閎孺) was the favorite companion of the Chinese

Emperor Hui of Han Emperor Hui of Han (Liu Ying 劉盈; 210 BC – 26 September 188 BC) was the second emperor of the Chinese Han dynasty. He is also known as Han Huidi (Chinese: 漢惠帝 ''Hàn Huìdì''). He was the second son of Emperor Gaozu (Liu Bang, of th ...

. Hong Ru's dress and

cosmetics Cosmetics are constituted mixtures of chemical compounds derived from either natural sources, or synthetically created ones. Cosmetics have various purposes. Those designed for personal care and skin care can be used to cleanse or protect ...

were imitated by other courtiers in an attempt to impress the

emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...

. 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.

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. Born to Master Mariner Clarence and Mabel Crompton, Crompton received an M.A. in mathematics from the U ...

Ancient LGBT people Male lovers of royalty 2nd-century BC Chinese people {{China-bio-stub