The Fox Spirit, the Stone Maiden, and Other Transgender Histories from Late Imperial China

by Matthew H. Sommer

In imperial China, people moved away from the gender they were assigned at birth in different ways and for many reasons. Eunuchs, boy actresses, and clergy left behind normative gender roles defined by family and procreation. “Stone maidens”―women deemed physically incapable of vaginal intercourse―might depart from families or marriages to become Buddhist or Daoist nuns. Anatomical males who presented as women sometimes took a conventionally female occupation such as midwife, faith healer, or even medium to a fox spirit. Yet they were often punished harshly for the crime of “masquerading in women’s attire,” suspected of sexual predation, even when they had lived peacefully in their communities for many years.

Exploring these histories and many more, this book is a groundbreaking study of transgender lives and practices in late imperial China. Through close readings of court cases, as well as Ming and Qing fiction and nineteenth-century newspaper accounts, Matthew H. Sommer examines the social, legal, and cultural histories of gender crossing. He considers a range of transgender experiences, illuminating how certain forms of gender transgression were sanctioned in particular social contexts and penalized in others. Sommer scrutinizes the ways Qing legal authorities and literati writers represented and understood gender-nonconforming people and practices, contrasting official ideology with popular mentalities. An unprecedented account of China’s transgender histories, this book also sheds new light on a range of themes in Ming and Qing law, religion, medicine, literature, and culture.

Genres: History, China, Queer, LGBT, Nonfiction

384 pages, Paperback

Published March 19, 2024

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very dense book (it is an academic book, not a trade book), but a really interesting one. I’m no longer a student and not a scholar, but I learned a lot of interesting material, and even as simply a well-read lay person, was able to follow the content. I’m glad my Chinese-major son got this for me.

When I messaged him to thank him for the gift and recommendation, he asked what I liked in particular. I said two things. 1. That transing gender included people joining religious communities, because it meant stepping out of the traditional Confucian familial roles. 2. That F-M shifts do not appear to have bothered the system much (certainly didn’t show up in official judicial records), probably because it made sense that women might want to have more power. But M-F transing disturbed all expectations, therefore must be nefarious. And we (culturally, on the right at least) still see it that way.

[echokodoma · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book incorporates cases of abnormal physical behavior or deviant conduct from the Ming and Qing dynasties into the framework of transgender practice, offering a new interpretive perspective. However, questions remain: 1. Are subjective inferences about the gaps in Ming and Qing case studies excessive? 2. Some cases appear to be a reproduction of phallic worship or sexual exploitation, potentially blurring the boundaries between gender transgression, sexual exploitation, class mobility, and superstitious rituals.

[Drew Tschirki · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting book of people “transing gender” (as the author puts it in an effort to avoid the anachronistic term “transgender” which simply didn’t exist during the time period).

One complaint is that each chapter seemed to get redundant; honestly probably could have been 50 pages shorter. But intriguing nonetheless!

[indyairtonight · Rating 4 out of 5]

i need someone to write a retelling of xiong mumu’s story like right this second

[Jocelynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

super interesting to see the different gendered expectations on the transitionings of both genders

[Ella · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s all a bit ‘how to do queer with things’, but the contents are fascinating enough that if you can get past the jargon it’s a good read.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

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