16th century Shen Defu believed that a reason homosexuality was so prevalent in the Fujian region of China was because the coasts were full of pirates, whose leaders were called qixiong, a term that also described an older homosexual partner by the Fujianese. He theorized that, since pirates had a superstition against bringing women aboard, they met their sexual needs with each other. He thought pirate culture impacted the culture in Fujian, leading to the widespread prevalence and acceptance of gay relationships in the area.