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Portrait of Wang Zhaojun

In this Chinese name, the family name is 王 (Wang).

Wang Qiang (王牆 also 王檣; 王嬙), more commonly known by her style name Wang Zhaojun (王昭君 pinyin: Wáng Zhāojūn) was a real person, born in Baoping Village, Zigui County (in current Hubei Province) in the Western Han Dynasty(206BC-8AD). was sent by Emperor Yuan to marry the Xiongnu chanyu (呼韓邪) in order to establish friendly relations with the Han Dynasty through marriage. She is famed as one of the Four Beauties of ancient China and her story as a ‘political bride’ has handed down to generations.

‘The Four beauties’ in ancient China:

The members of the most prevalent version of ‘The Four Beauties’ are Xi Shi, Wang Zhaojun, Diao Chan, Yang Guifei. They are described by four Chinese quotes correspondingly.(Xi Shi sinks fish; Wang Zhaojun drops birds;Diao Chan eclipses the moon;Yang Guifei shames flowers) It is said that when Wang Zhaojun left her hometown and began her journey to the north on a bright autumn morning. Along the way, the horse neighs, making Zhaojun extremely sad. She cannot control her emotions. As she sits on the saddle, she began to play the strings with melodies of tragic and sorrow. The goose flying to the south heard the music, and saw the beautiful young woman riding the horse, immediately forgot to flap their wings and fell on the ground. From that on, Zhaojun acquired the nickname "falls goose".(also drops birds)

Wang Zhaojun in History

Entering the harem

Wang Zhaojun was born to a prominent family of Baopin village, Zigui country (now Zhaojun village, Xingshan county,Hubei) in the south of the Western Han empire. Since the daughter gives birth when her father is aged, her father regards her as the pearl in the palm. Wang zhaojun was endowed with dazzling beauty with extremely intelligent mind. And she is adept in pipa and master all the Four Arts of the Chinese Scholar – GuqinGo,Calligraphy and Chinese painting. In 36 BC,Emperor Yuan chose his concubines from the whole state. Because of Zhaojun’s fame in the county, she was the first choice for the concubine from Nan county.Emperor Yuan issued the edict that Zhaojun should enter the harem soon. Although Zhaojun’s father said that my daughter was too young to enter the harem, he still cannot violate the decree. Finally this daring and determined young woman farewell her hometown and entered the harem of Emperor Yuan in early summer. According to the custom in the palace, when choosing a new wife, the Emperor was first presented with portraits of all the possible women. It is said that because of Zhaojun's confidence of beauty and temperament, she refused to bribe the artist Mao Shouyan as other women do. As a reprisal, Mao shouyan painted a mole of widowed tears on Zhaojun’s portrait. As a result, during her time in the Lateral Courts, Wang Zhaojun was never visited by the emperor and remained as a palace lady-in-waiting. Wang Zhaojun's portrait was either never viewed by the Emperor, or was not in its true form, and therefore the Emperor overlooked her.

Zhaojun Departs the Frontier

In 33 BC,Huhanye visited Chang'an on a homage trip, as part of the tributary system between the Han and Xiongnu. He took the opportunity to ask to be allowed to become an imperial son-in-law. The proposal of political marriage was tabled by Lou Jingde at the time of Emperor Gaozu of Han. At that time, the force of Xiongnu was much stronger than that of Han Chinese. Queen Mother Lv only had one daughter and she did not have heart to marry her daughter to a place far away.Therefore,the daughter of royal family took part in the political marriage.But this time,unwilling to honor the chanyu with a real princess, Emperor Yuan ordered that the plainest girl in the harem be selected for the marriage. He asked for volunteers and promised to give the volunteer away like his own daughter. The idea of leaving their homeland and comfortable life at the court for the grasslands of the far and unknown north was abhorrent to most of the young women. But not to Wang Zhaojun: she saw it as a chance to leave the empty palace life and possibly play a more important role than she ever would. She applied. When the lady-in-charge of the harem sent the unflattering portrait of Wang Zhaojun to the emperor, he merely glanced at it and nodded his approval. Only when summoned to court, Wang Zhaojun’s beauty astonished the emperor's courtiers and made the emperor reconsider his decision to send her to the Xiongnu. However, it is too late for the Emperor to change his decision because he cannot violate his promise to the Xiongnu. In anguish and sorrow, he parted with Wang Zhaojun. The court artist Mao Yanshou was subsequently put to death for deceiving the Emperor.

Life in Hun

Wang Zhaojun became a favourite of the Huhanye chanyu, giving birth to two sons. Only one of them seems to have survived, Yituzhiyashi (伊屠智牙師). They also had at least one daughter, Yun (雲), who was created Princess Yimuo and who would later become a powerful figure in Xiongnu politics. When Huhanye died in 31 BC, Wang Zhaojun requested to return to China.Emperor Cheng, however, ordered that she follow Xiongnu levirate custom and become the wife of the next shanyu, the oldest brother (or her stepson, born by her husband's first wife) of her husband. In her new marriage she had two daughters.

Wang was honoured as Ninghu Yanzhi(寧胡閼氏 "Hu-Pacifying Chief-Consort").

Evaluation

During the Han Dynasty, constant warfare between the North and the South causes chaos among the borders. In order to stop the Hun from the North from attacking, the Han Emperor chose Zhaojun to marry Chanyu of the Huns tribe to maintain peace between the two states.Zhaojun’s life became the household tale of "Zhaojun Departs the Frontier" (昭君出塞) in the history of the friendship and unity among Chinese nationalities as well as a popular subject in Chinese poetry, drama and novels. She adviced Huhanye not to wage war and spread the Han culture and civilization among the Huns tribe. As she was loved and respected by the Huns, Chanyu (Khan) Huhanxie conferred on her the title of the First Lady of Hun Peace, eulogizing Zhaojun as a queen who had brought peach and security to the Huns tribe. Peace was maintained for over 60 years between China and the Xiongnuwith her contribution. Since the 3rd century, the story of Wang Zhaojun had been elaborated upon. The Communist government of the People's Republic of China uses her as a symbol of the integration of Han Chinese and ethnic minorities of China. Zhaojun Tomb still exists today in Inner Mongolia.

Literary Works relative to Wang Zhaojun

Statistics show that there are about 700 poems and songs and 40 kinds of stories and folktale relative to Wang Zhaojun from more than 500 famous writers.

Notable people produce works relative to Wang Zhaojun include

• In ancient China: Shi Chong, Li Bai, Du Fu,Bai Juyi, Li Shangyin, Zhang Zhongsu, Cai Yong, Wang Anshi, Yelü Chucai.
• In neoteric and modern China: Guo Moruo, Cao Yu, Tian Han, Jian Bozan, Fei Xiaotong, Lao She, Chen Zhisui.

Notable retellings of the story of Wang Zhaojun include

• Chapter novel: You Feng Qi Yuan
• Variety Plays (known as Zaju in China) in Yuan Dynasty: Han Gong Qiu
• Biography in Ming Dynasty: He Rong Ji
• Han Shu, Xiongnu Zhuan (first known account of Wang Zhaojun)
• Qin Cao ("Principle of the Lute") by Cai Yong (c. 2nd century)
• Xijin Zaji ("Sundry Accounts of the Western Capital") (c. 3rd century)
• Han Gong Qiu ("The Autumn in the Palace of Han") by Ma Zhiyuan (c. 13th century)
• Wang Zhaojun by Guo Moruo (1923)
• Wang Zhaojun by Cao Yu (1978)
• Chapter 3, "Naturalizing National Unity: Political Romance and the Chinese Nation," of The Mongols at China's Edge by Uradyn E. Bulag (2002) contains a detailed discussion of variants of the Wang Zhaojun legend.

Film and TV products relative to Wang Zhaojun

• Chinese song Wang Zhaojun from Yang Yang
• Hong Kong Asia Television Limited, TV series in 1984, Wang Zhaojun, supervised by Wang Ximei.
• Hong Kong Asia Television Limited, TV series in 1985, Wang Zhaojun. Wei Qiuhua played Wang Zhaojun.
• Taiwan CTV, TV series broadcasted at 8 pm in 1988, Wang Zhaojun, directed by Zhou You. Song Gangling played Wang Zhaojun.
• China Central Television (CCTV) and China Television Media, Ltd, TV series in 2005, Wang Zhaojun. Yang Mi played Wang Zhaojun.
• China Central Television (CCTV), TV series in 2006,Zhaojun Chu Sai. Li Caihua played Wang Zhaojun.

External links

• Hou Han Shu Chapter eighty nine Nan Xiong Nu Lie Zhuan
• Zhaojun cultural festival

Category:Han Dynasty imperial consorts Category:Xiongnu Category:1st-century BC Chinese people