The Emperor Who Cut His Sleeve for Love: Ancient China's 2,000-Year-Old Love Story (Emperor Ai & Dong Xian)

An emperor wakes from an afternoon nap to find the man he loves asleep on his sleeve. Rather than wake him, he calls for a blade and cuts the sleeve off. Two thousand years later, "the cut sleeve" is still how the Chinese language remembers love between men.Tonight we travel to Han dynasty China, around 4 BCE, into the lacquered halls and plum-blossom courtyards of the Weiyang Palace in Chang'an, where Emperor Ai fell in love with a young official named Dong Xian. Recorded plainly in the Book of Han, theirs is one of the oldest documented love stories between men anywhere in the world: the shared naps, the extravagant devotion, the rise of Dong Xian to the highest office in the empire at twenty-two, the banquet where the emperor mused about giving him the throne itself, and the single act of tenderness that outlived the dynasty, the empire, and every critic who wrote it down.As always, the story is told twice: once at a natural pace, then again slowly, with longer pauses, to guide you gently into sleep. You are part of a long, beautiful history, and you are safe here.Support the show (only if you'd like, no need at all): https://restful-rainbow.captivate.fm/supportTopics: LGBTQ+ history, queer history, gay history, Chinese history, Han dynasty, Emperor Ai, Dong Xian, the cut sleeve, duanxiu, the bitten peach, sleep story for adults, bedtime story, relaxation.