Masturbation by 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 men had were seen as a health problem for men.

During this time, female homosexuality was widespread, but male homosexuality was rare. Male homosexuality was forbidden because it was considered a complete loss of yang essence on the part of both 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 male homosexuality figures reach the same standard as among other societies.

At first, prostitution was accepted by the Chinese. 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 men against them.

Ch'in and Western Han Dynasty - 221 BC to 24 AD

The Western Han Dynasty shifted the Taoist culture to a Confucianist culture, which was completely different.Women were placed in an inferior position to men. All physical contact between 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.

Men were allowed to see concubines and there was an entire set of Confucianist rules for concubines, such as grooming rules. A 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.

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 symbolicism 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(医心方)
Secrets of the Jade Chamber