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Xishi
Xi Shi was the most gorgeous of the 4 Beauties of Ancient China.
Legend has it that she was so pretty that even fish would forget how to swim when they saw her and sink to the bottom of the lake. However, Xi Shi actually had a very tragic life.
Her home, the Yue kingdom, had been defeated by Fu Chai, King of the Wu Kingdom. So in order to get back at him, Xi Shi’s lover Fan Li, who was also a royal advisor, suggested that they gift Xi Shi to the Wu King in order to sabotage him.
Wu's king Fu Chai was so dazzled by Xi Shi’s beauty he began to disregard his state of affairs, allowing the Yue King to take over.
The Wu people hated and blamed Xi Shi for this, so they tied her up and threw her into the Yangtze River.
Wang Zhaojun
Legend says her beauty and pipa playing were so captivating that birds fell from the sky distracted by her.
In 36 BC, Emperor Yuan was choosing concubines to join his harem by looking through their portraits. But because Zhao Jun refused to pay a bribe to the royal artist, he drew an unflattering mole on her portrait, and she remained a lady-in-waiting.
One day, the leader of the XiongNu nomadic tribe, Hu Han Xie, came seeking an alliance through marriage. Emperor Yuan chose Wang Zhao Jun to become the leader’s wife, because he felt she was the least attractive. When Wang ZhaoJun finally unveiled herself on the day of the parting ceremony, the Yuan Emperor realized the huge mistake he had made and was furious.
Wang Zhao Jun went on to live happily with Hu Han Xie and gave birth to two sons and one daughter. When her husband died a few years later, Zhaojun was ordered by the Chinese emperor to follow Xiongnu custom and become the wife of the next Xiongnu leader as well, AKA her stepson.
In her new marriage, she gave birth to two more daughters. And the story gets even crazier! After her stepson died… she got remarried to her step grandson until her death in 8AD.
Thanks to the sacrifices of Wang ZhaoJun, decades of peace continued between China and the XiongNu.
Diaochan
Legend has it that even the moon would hide behind the clouds when it saw her beauty because it was too shy!
During the late Han Dynasty, a warlord named Dong Zhuo terrorized the land, burning cities and killing people for entertainment. No one could do anything because his adopted son, Lu Bu, was the strongest warrior in all the land.
Diaochan's godfather, Minister Wang Yun, wanted to take Dong Zhuo down, and Diaochan volunteered to help him. Wang Yun introduced her to Lü Bu at a party, immediately captivating the warrior with her beauty.
Lu Bu began a romance with Diao Chan, unaware that the Minister had also offered her as a concubine to Dong Zhuo. When Lu Bu discovered this, he killed Dong Zhuo, ending his reign of terror. Eventually, Lu Bu was captured and executed by Cao Cao.
Yang Yuhuan
Yang Yu Huan was one of the 4 beauties of Ancient China. Known for her curvy figure, it is said that flowers would feel ashamed in her presence and wither when she touched them.
Throughout her life, Yu Huan had 2 marriages. The first was to the royal prince and the second was to the prince’s father, Emperor Xuan Zong, after he witnessed her beauty and became smitten with her.
As Imperial Consort, Yu Huan was very powerful and made her cousin, Yang Guo Zhong, Prime Minister and foster son, An LuShan, a general. One day, Lu Shan decided to lead a rebellion, forcing the Emperor to flee with Yu Huan and Guo Zhong.
Eventually, GuoZhong was killed by soldiers who were angry at him for weakening the Tang Dynasty. They also wanted Yuhuan dead as she put GuoZhong in power.
The Emperor had no choice but to have Yuhuan strangled. Devastated by his loss, the Emperor also passed away a few years later.
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