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Who was Yang Guifei, the beautiful Chinese princess blamed for toppling the Tang dynasty?
One of ancient China’s ‘Four Beauties’, Yang besotted an emperor, was the target of a rebellion, and in death became a tragic romantic icon
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From Helen of Troy in Greek mythology to historical figures such as Anne Boleyn and Marie Antoinette, influential women were often viewed through a misogynistic lens in premodern and early modern societies.
This was especially true for women whose power was tied to their relationships with male rulers, or who were scapegoated during times of political crisis.
Things were no different in imperial China, where society was shaped by strict customs and hierarchies. At the centre of this skewed narrative was Yang Guifei (“Imperial Consort Yang”), a doted-on concubine whose beauty and charm are said to have caused the downfall of the Tang dynasty (618-907).
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Born Yang Yuhuan in 719 to an aristocratic family and a descendant of Sui (589-617) and Tang dynasty officials, Yang grew up in modern-day Shanxi and Sichuan provinces. Her father, a census official, died when she was young, and she was entrusted to the care of her father’s brother, himself an official in Luoyang, in Henan province. There, she received a “feminine” aristocratic education, excelling in music and dance.
In 736, at age 17, Yang was chosen to marry Li Mao, Prince of Shou, the young son of Emperor Xuanzong, and entered the palace as Princess of Shou. The pair did not have any children.
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