Yáng Guìfēi (Simplified Chinese: 杨贵妃;; Traditional Chinese: 楊貴妃; pinyin: Yáng Guìfēi), Yáng: (a common surname), Guìfēi: 'highest-ranking imperial concubine' (literally means 'precious princess consort'), (June 1, 719 — July 15, 756), born Yáng Yùhuán (楊玉環), was one of the Four Beauties of ancient China. She was the beloved consort of the Xuanzong emperor. She was executed (together with her sisters and her cousin Yáng Guózhōng 楊國忠) because the enraged Imperial bodyguard troops were convinced that the Rebellion of Anshi was ultimately the fault of the Yang family. Simplified Chinese characters (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ; also Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ) refer to one of two standard Chinese character sets of printed contemporary Chinese written language, officially simplified by the government of the Peoples Republic of China in an attempt to promote literacy. ... Traditional Chinese characters are one of two standard sets of printed Chinese characters. ... It has been suggested that Pinyin_method be merged into this article or section. ... A princess consort is the female equivalent to a prince consort. ... June 1 is the 152nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (153rd in leap years), with 213 days remaining. ... Events The church of Nubia transfers its allegiance from the Eastern Orthodox Church to the Coptic Church. ... July 15 is the 196th day (197th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 169 days remaining. ... Events Abd-ar-rahman I conquers Iberia and establishes a new Umayyad dynasty. ... The Four Beauties (Chinese: 四大美人; pinyin: ) are four ancient Chinese women, renowned for their beauty. ... Emperor Tang Xuanzong (唐玄宗) (685 - 762), born Li Longji (李隆基), was the sixth emperor of the Tang dynasty of China. ... Yang Guozhong (楊國忠 Pinyin: yang2 guo2 zhong1) (d. ... The Anshi Rebellion (安史之亂 pinyin: an1 shi3 zhi1 luan4) occurred in China, during the Tang Dynasty, from 756 to 763. ...

Yang was born in Yongle (永樂), Pu Prefecture (蒲州) with an ancestry in Huaying (華陰), Hongnong (弘農) (in Shaanxi) to Yang Xuanyan (楊玄琰), the sihu (司戶), a finance and food official, in Shu Prefecture (蜀州). A few years after her father's death, sixteen-year old Yang married the Xuanzong's sixteen-year old son Prince Shou (壽王), Li Mei (李瑁), as "princess Shou" (壽王妃).   (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ShÇŽnxÄ«; Wade-Giles: Shan-hsi; Postal map spelling: Shensi) is a north-central province of the Peoples Republic of China, and includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River as well as the Qinling Mountains across the...

Three years after Emperor Xuanzong's consort Wu Huifei (武惠妃) died in 737, the highly-placed eunuch advisor Gao Lishi arranged for Xuanzong to meet Yang in Xingwen Fountain Palace (幸溫泉宮). The emperor then made Yang divorce her husband the prince, and become a nun with the sobriquet Taizhen (太真 "Utmost Truth") living in Taizhen Palace. Five years later, Prince Li Mei was given another wife, the daughter of General Yuan Zhaoxun (韋昭訓), and then Yang was made a guifei (imperial consort). A eunuch is a castrated man; the term usually refers to those castrated in order to perform a specific social function, as was common in many societies of the past. ... Gao Lishi (高力士) (684-762) was a eunuch official during Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Chinas reign, reaching high ranks like Biaoqi Grand General (驃騎大將軍) and Jinkai Fu Yitong Sansi (進開府儀同三司). He is believed to have run much of the empire during Xuanzongs inattentive later years, and is known to have been... Nun in cloister, 1930; photograph by Doris Ulmann A nun is a woman who has taken special vows committing her to a religious life. ...

Many of Yang's relatives received preference and high titles through her influence:

• her eldest sister became Lady of Han (韓國夫人) (Note: the name 韓國 does not correspond to the modern-day Korea)
• her third eldest sister became Lady of Guo (虢國夫人)
• her eighth eldest sister became Lady of Qin (秦國夫人)
• her playboy distant cousin, Yáng Guózhōng (楊國忠), became a high-ranking official, eventually the Chief Minister.

In addition, members of the Yang family married two Li princesses and two prefects. She also recommended her favorite, the "court jester" An Lushan, to military command, with disastrous consequences. Yang Guozhong (楊國忠 Pinyin: yang2 guo2 zhong1) (d. ... An Lushan (Simplified Chinese: 安禄山; Pinyin: ) (703 - 757) was a military leader of Sogdian origin during the Tang Dynasty in China. ...

Lychee was a favorite fruit for Yang, and the emperor had the fruit, which was only grown in southern China, delivered by the imperial messenger service's fast horses, whose riders would take shifts day and night in a Pony Express-like manner, to the capital. (Most historians believe the fruits were delivered from modern Guangdong, but some believe they came from modern Sichuan.) Binomial name Litchi chinensis Sonn. ... Pony Express statue in St. ... Guangdong, often spelt as Kwangtung, is a province on the south coast of the Peoples Republic of China. ...   (Chinese: ; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: SzÅ­4-chuan1; Postal map spelling: Szechwan and Szechuan) is a province in the central-western China with its capital at Chengdu. ...

During the Anshi Rebellion, when the capital was taken, the emperor made his escape to Chengdu. Along the road, at Mawei Relay Station (馬嵬驛站) (today in Xingping (興平縣), Shaanxi), the soldiers accompanying the imperial party, believing that the Yangs were responsible for the country's upheaval, demanded and obtained the death of Yang Guozhong. Still unsatisfied, the army insisted that Yang Guifei should be killed as well. Rather than turn herself over to them, Yang (then 38) hanged herself or was hanged by Gao Lishi. The following year, the devastated Xuanzong tried to retrieve her body from the Mawei Relay Station, but no body was ever found, so a memorial tomb for her was erected in Xi. A Japanese myth grew up telling that she was rescued, escaped to Japan and lived her remaining life there. In the following generation, a long poem, "Song of the Everlasting Sorrow" (長恨歌), was written, describing the Emperor's love for her and perpetual grief at her loss; it became an instant classic, known to and memorized by Chinese schoolboys far into posterity. The Anshi Rebellion (安史之亂 pinyin: an1 shi3 zhi1 luan4) occurred in China, during the Tang Dynasty, from 756 to 763. ... Chengdus location within China   (Chinese: ; pinyin: Chéngdu; Wade-Giles: Cheng-tu), located in southwest China, is the capital of the Sichuan province and a sub-provincial city. ...   (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ShÇŽnxÄ«; Wade-Giles: Shan-hsi; Postal map spelling: Shensi) is a north-central province of the Peoples Republic of China, and includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River as well as the Qinling Mountains across the... Yang Guozhong (楊國忠 Pinyin: yang2 guo2 zhong1) (d. ...

Yang Guifei is known for being slightly overweight, which was a much sought-after quality at the time. Misinterpretation of quotes describing this in the West has often led to her being described as "Obese". The term "obese", when used to describe Yang Guifei, must not be viewed in its modern context of someone who is extremely overweight. She was often compared and contrasted with Zhao Feiyan (趙飛燕), the beautiful wife of Emperor Cheng of Han, because she was known for her full build while Zhao was known for her slender build. This led to the Four-character idiom yanshou huanfei (燕瘦環肥), describing the range of the types of beauties. Obesity is an excess storage of fat and can affect any mammal, such as the mouse on the left. ... Empress Zhao Feiyan (趙飛燕) (d. ... Emperor Cheng of Han (51 BC–7 BC) was an emperor of the Chinese Han Dynasty ruling from 33 BC until 7 BC. Under Emperor Cheng, the Han dynasty continued its slide into disintegration while the Wang clan continued its slow grip on power and on governmental affairs as promoted... Four-character idioms, or chéng yǔ (成語, literally to become (part of) the language) are widely used in 文言 wényán. ...

Cultural legacy

Yang's story is often retold in culture. These include:

Literature: Old book bindings at the Merton College library. ...

• The Poem of Everlasting Hatred (長恨歌) by Bai Juyi

Operas This is a Chinese name; the family name is Bai. ... 19th century Chinese opera Chinese opera costumes Chinese opera is a popular form of drama in China. ...

• Guifei Intoxicated (貴妃醉酒 Guifei Zuijiu)
• The Unofficial Biography of Taizhen (太真外傳 Taizhen Waizhuan)
• The Slope of Mawei (馬嵬坡 Mawei Po) by Chen Hong (陳鴻)

Novels:

• The Unofficial Biography of Yang Taizhen (楊太真外傳 Yang Taizhen Waizhua)
• The Biography-Song of the Everlasting Sorrow (長恨歌傳 Changhen Kezhuan)
• The Court of the Lion (modern English novelization) - Eleanor Cooney, Daniel Altieri (ISBN 0-87795-902-1)

Drama plays:

• The Hall of Longevity (長生殿 Changshen Dian) by (洪升) of the Qing Dynasty
• The Mirror to Grind Dust (磨塵鑒 Mocheng Jian) by an anonymous of the Ming Dynasty
• The Records of Shocking the Grandeur (驚鴻記 Jinghong Ji) by (吳世美) of the Ming Dynasty
• The Records of Colourful Hair (彩毫記 Caihao Ji) by (屠隆隆) of the Ming Dynasty
• Emperor Ming of Tang China in an Autumn Night with Kolanut and Rain (唐明皇秋夜梧桐雨 Tang Minghuang Qiuye Wutong Yu) by Bai Pu (白樸) of the Yuan Dynasty

Movies: The Qing Dynasty (Chinese: ; pinyin: Qīng cháo; Wade-Giles: Ching chao; Manchu: daicing gurun), occasionally known as the Manchu Dynasty, was a dynasty founded by the Manchu clan Aisin Gioro, in what is today northeast China, expanded into China and the surrounding territories, establishing the Empire... The Ming Dynasty (Chinese: ; pinyin: ) was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644. ... The Ming Dynasty (Chinese: ; pinyin: ) was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644. ... The Ming Dynasty (Chinese: ; pinyin: ) was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644. ... The Yuan Dynasty (Chinese: ; pinyin: Yuáncháo; Mongolian: Dai Ön Yeke Mongghul Ulus), lasting officially from 1271 to 1368, followed the Song Dynasty and preceded the Ming Dynasty in the historiography of China. ...

• Princess Yang Kwei-Fei (The Empress Yang Kuei-Fei) (楊貴妃 Yōkihi, 1955) by Kenji Mizoguchi
• Yang Kwei Fei (1962 film)

While some literature describes her as the author of much misfortune, other writings sympathize with Yang as being a scapegoat. Kenji Mizoguchi (溝口 健二 Mizoguchi Kenji; May 16, 1898 – August 24, 1956) was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. ...

External links

• Some excerpt of the literature