Yang guifei full#

In 733, sixteen year-old Yang Yuhuan married the son of Emperor Xuanzong and Consort Wu, Li Mao the Prince of Shou. Yang Xuanyan died when Yang Yuhuan was still young, so the latter was raised by her uncle Yang Xuanjiao, who was a low-ranking official at Henan Municipality (modern Luoyang). He appeared to have had no sons, but had four daughters who were known to history - Yang Yuhuan and three older sisters. Yang's father Yang Xuanyan served as a census official at Shu Prefecture (in modern Chengdu, Sichuan), and his family went there with him. Yang Wang was from Huayin (in modern Weinan, Shaanxi), but his clan subsequently relocated to Yongle (in modern Yuncheng, Shanxi). Her great-great-grandfather Yang Wang was a key official during the reign of Emperor Yang of Sui, and, after the fall of the Sui Dynasty, served one of the contenders to succeed Sui, Wang Shichong Yang Wang was then killed when Wang Shichong was defeated by Tang forces in 621. Yang was born in 719 early in the reign of Emperor Xuanzong. See Separate Article FOUR BEAUTIES OF ANCIENT CHINA: XI SHI, WANG ZHAOJUN, DIAOCHAN, YANG GUIFEI Early Life of Yang Guifei To appease the army, Emperor Tang Xuanzong had no choice but to order Yang to commit suicide at the Mawei Slope. According to one version of the story when Emperor Xuanzong and Yang arrived at the Mawei Slope, the army refused to march, for the army thought that the reason of this rebellion by An Lushan was that Imperial Concubine Yang's behavior of attracting emperor ruined the state and that her cousin Yang Guozong colluded with the enemy. The emperor capitulated and reluctantly ordered his attendant Gao Lishi to strangle Yang to death. 755, during the An Lushan Rebellion, as Emperor Xuanzong and his cortege were fleeing from the capital Chang'an to Chengdu, the emperor's guards demanded that he put Yang to death because they blamed the rebellion on her cousin Yang Guozhong and the rest of her family. There are many operas and shows based on their tragic love story. Pink jade is associated with beauty, and it is said that Emperor Xuanzong would only allow Yang Guifei to wear it. Yang Guifei was the beloved consort of Xuanzong during his later years. Naturally she found important official posts for her brothers and all her relatives but more important than these was a military governor named An Lu-shan (703-757). This is incorrect, as she was but a link in the chain of influences that played upon the emperor. Wolfram Eberhard wrote in “A History of China”: 'Concubine Yang' became the heroine of countless stage-plays and stories and even films all the misfortunes that marked the end of Xuanzong's reign were attributed solely to her. Later she took the general An Lu-shan (703–757) under her wing as her student, adopted son, and (according to palace rumors) lover. Yang started out as concubine of Xuanzong's son before the emperor decided he wanted her for himself-along with her two sisters. This led to the Four-character idiom “yanshou huanfei,' describing the range of the types of beauties.

Yang guifei full#

She was often compared and contrasted with Empress Zhao Feiyan, the wife of Emperor Cheng of Han, because Yang was known for her full build while Empress Zhao was slender. Yang was known for having a full and fleshy figure, which was a much sought-after quality at the time.

Yang's other common name - Yang Yuhuan - means 'jade ring.' Jade ('yu') was considered so precious that it was often used in women's names. These talents, it is said, together with her education, made her stand out among the imperial concubines and win the emperor's favor. She was gifted in music, singing, dancing and playing lute. She was born in an old, well-known official family.

719-756), a name that means “Imperial Concubine Yang” (Yang Guifei), with “Guifei” being the highest rank for imperial consorts during her time. The Tang Emperor Xuanzong was dominated by his concubine known as Yang Guifei (A.D.