Masturbation by Asian sex men was seen as unhealthy and forbidden, for it was said to cause a complete loss of his vital yang essence. Women could masturbate freely as they were said to have an unlimited yin. Medical texts only warned women against masturbation with foreign objects which were believed to injure the womb and internal sexual organs. Nocturnal emissions or ‘wet dreams’ that Asian sex men had were seen as a health problem for Asian sex men.

During this time, female homosexuality was widespread, but Asian sex male homosexuality was rare. Asian sex male homosexuality was forbidden because it was considered a complete loss of yang essence on the part of both Asian sex men. Meanwhile, since women were said to have an unlimited yin essence, there was no loss of yin in female homosexual relations. Not until the Han dynasty did Asian sex male homosexuality figures reach the same standard as among other societies.

At first, prostitution was accepted by the Chinese. Asian sex men thought that they could gain more yin from prostitutes than from normal women. They believed that since such women had sex with so many men, that they had acquired more yang essence from them, thus, they could give a patron more yang essence than he had lost. However, Chinese medicine began to identify prostitutes with many diseases at an early stage in human history and they began warning Asian sex men against them.

Ch’in Dynasty – 221 BC to 24 AD

The Ch’in Dynasty shifted the Taoist culture to a Confucianism culture, which was completely different.
Women were placed in an inferior position to Asian sex men. All physical contact between Asian sex men and women was confined to marriage and their bedroom or a couch. After leaving the bedroom or couch, there was to be no physical contact between husbands and wives. The sex act in itself was looked upon as a sort of sin by Confucianism. Sex was only for procreation and to provide a sacred family life.

Asian sex men were allowed to see concubines and there was an entire set of Confucianism rules for concubines, such as grooming rules. An Asian sex man’s concubine was not allowed to stay in bed after the sex act if his wife was not present but the concubine had to leave. Even if the concubine was age 50, the man was supposed to have sex with his concubine every five days. During this time period, there were many sadistic relationship among the Ch’in dynasty families and many incestuous relationships between close kin members of the dynasty.

Later Han Dynasty – 25 AD to 220 AD

With the Han Dynasty came the return of Taoist doctrines, only by this point in time, Taoism was now an
organized religion with its own church and priests. New sexual texts began to surface such as The Handbook of the Plain Girl and The Art of the Bedchamber. Both texts referred to a Yellow Emperor, who was attempting to live a long, healthy life and obtain a form of immortality through sex. Emphasis was placed on breathing techniques during sex to prolong a man’s orgasm to make a woman orgasm several times to gain her yin essence.

New metaphors and symbolisms evolved in literature to show men and women and their sexuality. The color red was female, a crucible, the ova, her cinnabar (vulva). The color white became symbolic of men and their semen. The White Tiger was symbolic of men and the Green Dragon was symbolic of women.

Three Kingdoms & Six Dynasties – 221 AD to 590 AD

During this time frame there were many conflicts between different cultures and the ruling classes during the wars. There was intermixing between Taoist doctrines, Confucian doctrines and Buddhist doctrines.

Sui Dynasty – 590 AD to 618 AD

Once again, China returned to the Taoist doctrines and new sexual literature and manuals began to flourish.
Such texts included the following:
The Secret Methods of the Plain Girl
Handbook of Sex of the Dark Girl
Recipes of the Plain Girl
Secret Prescriptions for the Bedchamber
Principles of Nurturing
Ishimpo
Secrets of the Jade Chamber

Many of the texts continue the sexual instruction to the Yellow Emperor, trying to tell him how to obtain a long, immortal healthy life, by having many sexual relations with many women gaining their yin essence without expending his yang essence, or prolonging his orgasms/ejaculation. All of the texts are very detailed and each has unique sets of sexual positions with animal-like names for each individual sex position. Sex was seen as a cure-all for every health ailment that a man had, and different sexual positions were given as prescriptions to cure these ailments.