Four Beauties of Ancient China
These are the Four Beauties of ancient China, historical figures whose lives have been embellished in Chinese literature. This may give you a feel for ancient Chinese culture and history.
Diao-Chan had “a face that would make the full moon hide behind the clouds”. She is probably the only fictional character of the four, said to live during the Three Kingdoms Era. She was the center of a royal love triangle, which resulted in the killing of the tyrant Dong Zhuo.
Wang-Zhao-Jun was “so beautiful as to make flying geese fall” because they forgot how to fly after seeing her. She was born to a prominent family and became part of the imperial harem. She was intelligent and was a skilled pipa player. In 33 BC as part of a deal between the Han Chinese and the Xiongnu nomads of Central Asia, Wang-Zhao-Jun was offered to the chieftain Huhanye. Ancient tales state that when the emperor was going to chose his concubines, he commisioned a painter to create portraits of the women. The portraits would be brought to him and he would make his decision based on their appearance. Wang-Zhao-Jun had refused to pay the cutstomary bribe to the painter (the more the money, the more beautiful the portrait). As a result, the painting he presented to the emperor was most unflattering. Wang-Zhao-Jun was consequently kept away from the emperor. When he called for someone to voluntarily marry Huhanye, Wang-Zhao-Jun was the only one who was willing to leave the palace and marry into another race. Upon seeing her in person at her departure, the emperor almost reconsidered allowing her to leave, and immediately had the court painter executed for misrepresenting her true beauty. She was able to foster peaceful relations between China and the Xiongnu, which lasted for 60 years after she traveled beyond the Great Wall. A tomb that was built in her honor lies south of Hohhot in Inner Mongolia.
Xi-Shi was “so beautiful as to make swimming fish sink” when she went to the river to wash silk. After the King of the State of Yue was humiliated by his rival the King of Wu, he sent the beautiful Xi-Shi to him in revenge. Her goal was to distract him from the affairs of state so that his kingdom would decline in power. The plan worked. The King of Wu was so entranced by her that he spent all his time with her, building for her the extravagant Guanwa Palace (Palace of Beautiful Women) near the city of Suzhou. The King of Yue struck back when the King of Wu least expected it, and routed his armies in battle during the year 473 BC. Xi-Shi is known for being one of the few women who caused an entire kingdom to collapse.
Yang-Gui-Fei had “a face that would make all flowers feel shameful”. She was an only child whose father died when she was young. She was a good singer and dancer. She was chosen to attend to the emperor and became part of the imperial harem. She came to have such influence over the emperor that many members of her family were appointed to high positions. Among them was Yang Guozhong, who became a corrupt prime minister. Emperor Xuanzong fell to Yang-Gui-Fei’s charm and neglected his royal duties. Everyone came to hate her and her family because they felt they were causing the country’s downfall. This led to rebellion on the part of one of Xuanzong’s generals in 755 AD, who marched on the capital. The emperor fled with Yang-Gui-Fei. They didn’t get far when his own royal guard troops refused to march any further unless Yang-Gui-Fei and Yang Guozhong were executed. The emperor could do nothing but bow to their wishes. She chose to commit suicide instead. It is said that she was slighly overweight, which was considered attractive at that time. She also had an unpleasant odor, which she tried to mask with scented powders and baths. Like Xi-Shi, she is known for nearly causing the downfall of a Chinese kingdom.
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