39 Wang Zhaojun

One of Four Ancient Beauties of China

Wang Zhaojun also named Wang Qiang, Zhaojun was her polite name. Emperor Yuandi of Han once launched a nationwide hunting-young-girl-campaign for replenishing the group of his palace maids, an activity held every five more-or-less years. When the new girls arrived (Zhaojun was included), Yuandi ordered Mao Yanshou, a palace painter to portray them facilitating the emperor to choose them and call in. All the girls scrambled to offer bribes to painter Mao for a return that they could be painted prettier. But Zhaojun, being excelled in painting herself, she made an excellent self-portrait and handed in. Mao hated Zhaojun without offering money, added a mole on her face. When the Emperor appreciated Zhaojun’s pretty image, Mao said: the mole on her face was an ill omen that could bring down her spouse. The Emperor gave up, and that made Zhaojun be left in limbo for as long as ten years. In 33 BC, her life changed, when the ruler of Xiong Nu sent a courier coming to ask a marriage relationship with Han, Zhaojun filed a plea that she was willing to marry off to Xiong Nu. On the day of departure, Zhaojun went to say farewell to the Emperor with her full makeup. On seeing her striking beauty, the Emperor was all shocked up with his eyes and mouth wide-open. After knowing painter Mao’s trick, the Emperor killed him.

The story “Zhaojun went to desert” had touched hundreds of thousands of hearts in history, especially, intellectuals in all dynasties wrote prose, poetry, operas and stage plays to express their feelings and extent their sympathy to the ill-fated girl.

But Zhaojun’s marriage had helped keep ceasefire between China and Xiong Nu for around a half century to save millions of soldier’s life for both sides.