The Enduring Strength of China's Four Beauties

 by Tishe O

In China’s history there have been many notable characters written in literature, a notable group being a foursome known as the “Four Beauties”; they’re known for their great beauty and the struggles they endure due to the cruelty of men. The four are usually referred to as Xi Shi, Wang Zhaojun, Diaochan, and Yang Guifeif. But much of their stories are just history with a large amount of mythical embellishment.They are associated canonically due to the Zhuangzi, which mentioned two of them as “great beauties”.

Xi Shi was the first recorded character; born during the Chunqiu period in China’s history, and is traditionally known as Shi Yiguang and was discovered by the Yue minister Fan Li and given to King Fuchai of Wu by King Goujian of Yue in a honey pot operation which successfully brought down the State of Wu in 473 BCE. She was said to be so beautiful that fishes would forget how to swim and sink below the surface upon seeing her reflection in the water. A popular theory of her death is that once the kingdom of Yue won the war the king killed Xi Shi in fear of her beauty. Another story for her disappearance is that she lived in seclusion with Fan Li ;her lover.

Wang Zhaojun was the next Beauty as she was born in 50 BCE during the Western Han dynasty. She was said to be so beautiful that her appearance would entice birds in flight to fall from the sky and to have skill in playing the Chinese lute. She was accepted into the harem of Emperor Yun. However, she was ignored by the Emperor because she angered her portrait painter so he painted her an unflattering portrait. In 33 BCE she was given in marriage to the leader of the Xiongnu empire. She was one of the only ones to live a somewhat prosperous life, she had two daughters with her husband; when he died she followed levirate customs and married her eldest stepson and has two more daughters with him. She is known as the consort who brought peace.

Diaochan was in the household of Dong Zhou,a military warlord remembered as a tyrant. She entered a relationship with his foster son Lu Bu and manipulated him into killing his Dong Zhuo. In folklore it is said  that she was killed by men who wanted to marry her because they feared her betraying them.

The last Beauty was Yang Guifei. Her story takes place in the 8th century and was the prized consort of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang. Her beauty was said to shame the flowers; she used this beauty to persuade the emperor to make her cousin leading chancellor. However, during the An Lushan rebellion people with vendettas against her cousin demanded that the emperor have Guifei put to death. Thus she was strangled to death by the ;emperor's attendant; Gao Lishi.

These women’s control over men could have been their strength or their downfall but no matter what they did their best to better the lives of their loved ones and keep to their values.