Homosexuality from Ancient to Modern China

May 9, 2013 • The Chinese history of homosexuality has undergone a dramatic trajectory. In contemporary China, homosexuality wasn't decriminalized until 1997. And in 2001, it was removed from being listed as a mental disease. But for centuries, China was more tolerant of same-sex love than nearly any other society, rivalled perhaps only by ancient Greece and Rome, according to Richard Burger, author of "Behind the Red Door: Sex in China." However, he says the same-sex behavior in ancient China differs from the modern understanding of homosexuality.