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09-June-20XX
Hello Readers, welcome back to the blog! As I stated last week, we are dedicating the entirety of Pride Month to stories of historical cultivators who were known to be homosexual. Quick disclaimer, the following will not be a comprehensive understanding of the historical or cultural context in which these cultivators lived. I’m writing a blog post, not a history textbook. Moreover, there are still debates about the cultivators I will be covering today, so much of what you will be reading will be coming from my own beliefs and understandings of these people. However, I will be citing my resources at the bottom of the page.
Anyway, with that out of the way, today I will be talking about one of the more controversial cultivators known to history – Nie HuaiSang! Now, hold your booing, I know not everyone likes him, but there is a lot of evidence that he was queer. Even more interesting is who his gay paramour may have been – read on to find out.
Nie HuaiSang’s affect on the cultivation world is still felt today, in a time where cultivation has fallen out of practice. Outside of being one of the most influential Chief Cultivators, he contributed greatly to China’s art scene, with some of his pieces costing well into the millions of dollars today. Some historical evidence also points to dealings between the Emperor and Nie HuaiSang, although nothing has been confirmed as of yet. On top of all that, he also had an extensive bird collection, many of whom were trained as spies. In his life, he proved to be easily one of the most dangerous men in history and, as we all know, he did not hesitate to maintain this status, especially in the later half of his reign as Chief Cultivator. It should be noted, however, that heavy debate remains on how responsible he actually was for all those deaths.
But enough about that! What we’re here for is the gay. And oh boy do I have a story for you. Drumroll please for who we believe was his partner!
Jiang WanYin!
That’s right! Notorious grump and Wei WuXian’s shidi, Jiang WanYin! He was a war hero in the Sunshot Campaign and leader of the Yunmeng Jiang sect. Famously, he never married and passed on his title to a distant cousin. The most commonly accepted theory on his bachelor status is that his requirements for a wife were…exacting, to put it lightly. He was not well-liked by women-kind in his time. But what if the real reason for his bachelorhood was that he shared his shixiong’s procilivity for men?
I’m sure you’re shouting for the evidence now! Well, let’s start with the artwork which inspired historians’ inquiries into the nature of Jiang WanYin and Nie HuaiSang’s relationship.
[Image Attached]
ID: A painted drawing of Jiang WanYin. He is depicted on Lotus Pier, looking out on the lake water with several lotuses blooming. His hair is down with some strands falling over his shoulders and his bare feet are dipped into the lake. His robes are detailed with floral trim and he appears to be reading a scroll in his lap. In the background, floating on the lake, are two mandarin ducks, one male and the other female. At the bottom right corner is Nie HuaiSang’s signature. End ID.
This particular piece of art was found around fifty years ago when archaeologists explored Hejian for any forgotten relics from the days Qinghe Nie reigned in the area. To the explorer’s great surprise, they found a burial site several kilometers from The Unclean Realm. At the site were a great multitude of items belonging to Nie HuaiSang, his brother Nie MingJue, and their father. Among these items was a large collection of Nie HuaiSang’s art, all holding his signature. From what art historians have been able to find, none of these pieces were ever put into circulation. In this collection were many portraits of his family and friends, including the above picture.
Now let’s dissect this painting of Jiang WanYin. It’s the not only one of him that existed in this secret collection, but this is arguably the most romantic. Not only is Jiang WanYin depicted at his home, he is shown at his most comfortable – his hair is down and his feet are in the water. Surely this is not a sight anyone besides family would manage to see of him. To make matters more surprising, there is the ducks. If you’re unfamiliar with Chinese symbolism, the mandarin duck is a symbol of romantic love. These ducks were long-believed to have mated for life, although this has since been disproven. Moreover, the male and female ducks are very dissimilar in appearance, so their name, yuanyang, is sometimes used to refer to an unexpected couple. And what an odd couple they could have been, Jiang WanYin and Nie HuaiSang!
Some scholars have argued the painting would have been a gift to Jiang WanYin’s future spouse, which is why it never saw public view since the man in question remained a bachelor. But many other scholars, myself included, believe this is an artwork meant to represent Nie HuaiSang’s feelings for Jiang WanYin. He wanted to immortalize his partner in a loving way, since their relationship was otherwise not public.
There is further evidence to back our claims. In Wei WuXian’s well-maintained diary, he made several notes on Jiang WanYin’s close relationship to Nie HuaiSang. In one of these entries, he refers to them as an odd couple, yuanyang. It is difficult to further discern if he was being serious when he wrote these words, since any historian worth their salt knows not to take Wei WuXian’s recollections at face value. Aside from him, there are also diary entries from Jin RuLan, who maintained a close uncle-nephew relation with Jiang WanYin until the latter’s passing. In several of his entries, he mentions Nie HuaiSang arriving with Jiang WanYin for personal gatherings and weddings. Although Nie HuaiSang later married a woman and had several children with her, he does not stop this oddly close relationship with Jiang WanYin. In fact, in two entries, Jin RuLan remarks on how strange it is to see Jiang WanYin, Nie HuaiSang, and Nie HuaiSang’s wife chatting in friendly terms. He even goes so far as to accidentally(?) refer to Nie HuaiSang’s third child as his own cousin.
Although the evidence is scarce, I personally believe it speaks volumes. There were many happy stories of homosexual couples in the cultivation world, the most famous of which being Lan WangJi and Wei WuXian, but there are twice as many stories of same-sex couples ending tragically. I am of the opinion that Nie HuaiSang and Jiang WanYin sadly fell into this second category. They were duty-bound to foster families and run their individual sects. Any romance between them would have been at great risk if it was revealed to the public. However, I am also of the opinion that they managed to their love in private, even to the point of eventually including Nie HuaiSang’s wife, if Jin RuLan’s mistake is to be believed. I believe they loved each other until the bitter end. As evidence and to close this blog post out, I present to you one of the last paintings in the buried collection. We have managed to date it as occurring within the same year as Nie HuaiSang’s famous fall.
[Image Attached]
ID: Depicted is Jiang Wanyin in his later years. There are noticeable wrinkles around his mouth and eyes. He is dressed in heavy brocade robes. His belt displays the Nie’s motif – the head of a bull-like beast. His belt is also decorated with a Jiang purity bell and a case for writing talismans. His hair has been done in a series of complicated braids. His right hand displays Zidian in its ring form. He is smiling as he stares out a window. End ID.