All the ancient civilizations of the world are full of myths and legend and China is no exception. The Chinese legends are replete with the tales of super human characters and their deeds – both men and women.
Among the ancient Chinese beauties, probably the most beloved are the four beautiful women who exercised great influence on the Emperors and contemporary politics as a whole. There is a common link between the stories of all these Beauties of Ancient China – they all remained most powerful women in their primes, but all of them ended their life amidst sheer misery and the mystery behind their deaths remained unsolved forever.
Here are the stories of four Beauties of Ancient China in chronological order.
Xi Shi who lived between seventh to sixth century BC was renowned for her beauty that would stop even fishes from swimming and they would sink away from the surface whenever they got to see her. Like other three ancient Chinese beauties, Xi Shi had some humanly attributes in addition to ethereal beauty; she was believed to have bigger feet than normal ladies of her time.
Next comes Wang Zhaojun who lived in first century BC during Western Han Dynasty, believed to have born with a beauty that stunned the swans that would fall to the ground by seeing her.
Diaochan was the next among the beauties of ancient China who lived in third century during ‘Three Kingdoms’ period. Her beauty would make the moon hide her face behind the clouds.
Yang Guifei lived during Tang Dynasty between the periodof 719-756. Hers was a face “that would make all flowers feel shamed in comparison to her”. Yang Guifei was believed to build several bathing ponds and invented scented powder. Her fondness for bathing and scents was believed to be due to her foul body odor – again the humane attribute of an exquisitely beautiful lady.
In other mythologies, the beauties are painted flawless; but in case of the Beauties of ancient China, their humane flaws only make their tales more realistic and lively. Although, these stories are not supported by historical facts, they have been loved and cherished by the Chinese people for generations.