Wang Qiang (王牆 also 王檣; 王嬙), more commonly known by her style name Wang Zhaojun (王昭君) was the consort of the Xiongnu shanyu Huhanye (呼韓邪). She is famed as one of the Four Beauties of ancient China. A Xiongnu belt buckle. ... Chanyu(Shanyu is quite an unacceptable corruption) is the title of the ruler of the Huns [Xiongnu in Chinese]. The literal translation is the greatest in Xiongnu language. ... The Four Beauties (Chinese: 四大美人; pinyin: ) are four ancient Chinese women, renowned for their beauty. ...

Wang Zhaojun in history

Wang Zhaojun was born to a prominent family of Zigui county, Nan county (now Xingshan county, Hubei) in the south of the Western Han empire. She entered the harem of Emperor Yuan probably after 40 BC. During her time in the Lateral Courts, Wang Qiang was never visited by the emperor and remained as a palace lady-in-waiting (宮女). Hubei (Chinese: 湖北; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Hu-pei; Postal System Pinyin: Hupeh) is a central province of the Peoples Republic of China. ... The Han Dynasty (Traditional Chinese characters: 漢朝, Simplified Chinese characters: 汉朝, pinyin Hàncháo 202 BC - AD 220) followed the Qin Dynasty and preceded the Three Kingdoms in China. ... Emperor Yuan of Han (75 BC–33 BC) was an emperor of the Chinese Han Dynasty. ... Centuries: 2nd century BC - 1st century BC - 1st century Decades: 90s BC 80s BC 70s BC 60s BC 50s BC - 40s BC - 30s BC 20s BC 10s BC 0s BC 10s BC Years: 45 BC 44 BC 43 BC 42 BC 41 BC 40 BC 39 BC 38 BC 37...

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. Instead of honouring the chanyu with a princess, Huhanye was presented with five women from the imperial harem, one of them who was Wang Zhaojun. Centuries: 2nd century BC - 1st century BC - 1st century Decades: 80s BC 70s BC 60s BC 50s BC 40s BC - 30s BC - 20s BC 10s BC 0s 10s 20s Years: 38 BC 37 BC 36 BC 35 BC 34 BC 33 BC 32 BC 31 BC 30 BC 29 BC... Changan ▶(?) (Simplified Chinese: 长安; Traditional Chinese: 長安; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Chang-an) is the ancient capital of more than ten dynasties in China. ... A Xiongnu belt buckle. ... Chanyu (Traditional: 單于; Simplified: 单于; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: chan-yü; sometimes written Shanyu) was the title used by the rulers of the Xiongnu during the Han Dynasty 206 BC - 220. ...

A story from the Hou Han Shu relates that Wang Zhaojun volunteered to join the chanyu. When summoned to court, her beauty astonished the emperor's courtiers and made the emperor reconsider his decision to send her to the Xiongnu. The Book of Later Han (Chinese: 後漢書; pinyin: ) is one of the official Chinese historical works which was compiled by Fan Ye (Traditional Chinese: 范瞱; Simplified Chinese: 范晔; 398-445), using a number of earlier histories and documents as sources. ...

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 chanyu, the oldest son of her husband. In her new marriage she had two daughters. Centuries: 2nd century BC - 1st century BC - 1st century Decades: 80s BC 70s BC 60s BC 50s BC 40s BC - 30s BC - 20s BC 10s BC 0s 10s 20s Years: 36 BC 35 BC 34 BC 33 BC 32 BC 31 BC 30 BC 29 BC 28 BC 27 BC... Emperor Cheng of Han (51 BC–7 BC) was an emperor of the Chinese Han Dynasty from 33 BC until 7 BC. Era names Jianshi (建始 py. ... Levirate marriage is the practice of a woman marrying one of her husbands sons or brothers after her husbands death, in order to continue his line. ...

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

Wang Zhaojun in legend

According to other legends, she commits suicide after her husband's death as her only resort in order to avoid marrying her son. Suicide (from Latin sui caedere, to kill oneself) is the act of willfully ending ones own life. ...

Her life became the story of "Zhaojun Departs the Frontier" (昭君出塞). Peace was maintained for over 60 years between China and the Xiongnu. However, China eventually lost touch with her and her descendants.

Since the 3rd century the story of Zhaojun had been elaborated upon and she had been touted as a tragic heroine. 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. This article is about communism as a form of society and as a political movement. ... Han Chinese (Simplified Chinese: 汉族; Traditional Chinese: 漢族; Pinyin: hànzú) is a term which refers to the majority ethnic group within China and the largest single human ethnic group in the world. ... The Peoples Republic of China officially describes itself as a multinational unitary state and as such officially recognizes 56 nationalities or Mínzú (民族), within China: the Han being the majority (>92%), and the remaining 55 nationalities being the national minorities. ... The Zhaojun Tomb (昭君墓), located beside a river in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, the Peoples Republic of China, is said to be the resting place of Wang Zhaojun, a commoner woman from the Chinese Han Empire who married a Xiongnu Chanyu. ... Inner Mongolia (Mongolian: ᠥᠪᠦᠷ ᠮᠣᠨᠺᠤᠯᠤᠨ ᠥᠪᠡᠷᠲᠡᠺᠡᠨ ᠵᠠᠰᠠᠬᠤ ᠣᠷᠤᠨ r Mongghul-un bertegen Jasaqu Orun; Chinese: 内蒙古自治区; Hanyu Pinyin: N...

Notable retellings of the story of Wang Zhaojun include:

• 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 Chao Yu (1978)

Chapter 3, "Naturalizing National Unity: Political Romance and the Chinese Nation," of Nationalism and Hybridity in Mongolia by Uradyn E. Bulag (Oxford: Oxford UP, 1998) contains a detailed discussion of variants of the Wang Zhaojun legend. Cai Yong (Chinese: 蔡邕) was a musician , a calligrapher of the Han dynasty and author of Qin Cao 【琴操】. He plays the guqin and his daughter is the famous Cai Wenji. ... Mă Zhìyuăn (馬致遠) (c. ... Guo Moruo (Chinese: 郭沫若; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Kuo Mo-jo, courtesy name Dǐng Táng 鼎堂) (November 16, 1892 - June 12, 1978) was a Chinese author, poet, historian, archaeologist, and government official. ...

there is also a famous pipa solo piece that is dedicated to her.

Further reading

Waley, Arthur. The life and times of Po Chü-i, 772-846 A.D. (London: George Allen and Unwin, 1949)