Bao Sanniang is a possibly fictional character of the
Three Kingdoms
The Three Kingdoms () from 220 to 280 AD was the tripartite division of China among the dynastic states of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu. The Three Kingdoms period was preceded by the Han dynasty#Eastern Han, Eastern Han dynasty and wa ...
period of China. She appears primarily in
Chinese opera
Traditional Chinese opera (), or ''Xiqu'', is a form of musical theatre in China with roots going back to the early periods in China. It is an amalgamation of various art forms that existed in ancient China, and evolved gradually over more tha ...
and plays, and is usually portrayed as a brave woman warrior and as the wife of Guan Suo, a possibly fictitious son of
Guan Yu
Guan Yu (; ), courtesy name Yunchang, was a Chinese military general serving under the warlord Liu Bei during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. Along with Zhang Fei, he shared a brotherly relationship with Liu Bei and accompanied him on ...
. Proud of her warrior training, she refused marriage until he defeated her in a duel. A tomb in
Guangyuan
Guangyuan () is a prefecture-level city in Sichuan Province, China, bordering the provinces of Shaanxi to the northeast and Gansu to the northwest. The city has a population of 2,305,657 as of the 2020 census.
Located roughly between the provi ...
,
Sichuan
Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of the ...
, was built for her.
Biography
Bao Sanniang was the third daughter of Bao Yuanwai. She lived in the Bao Clan Village in
Sichuan
Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of the ...
. Lian Kang came to marry Bao Sanniang but she refused. He then attacked the hamlet and seized her, but Bao Sanniang fought back. After this the Bao family attacked and seized the Nanshan region, Lian Kang who was the area chief was executed.
Guan Suo was on a journey with his father Guan Yu, when he heard about the fall of Lian Kang. Guan Suo learned that a warrior woman was one of the main responsible for the defeat of Lian Kang and wanted to challenge her to a duel. They fought several times before she was knocked off her horse and be defeated. Charmed by the first opponent that bested her and knowing of her opponent's heritage, she proposed a marriage and Guan Suo accepted due to her beauty and courageous spirit. After their marriage was accepted by
Liu Bei
Liu Bei (, ; ; 161 – 10 June 223), courtesy name Xuande (), was a warlord in the late Eastern Han dynasty who founded the state of Shu Han in the Three Kingdoms period and became its first ruler. Although he was a distant relative of the H ...
, Bao Sanniang was awarded with a permanent position in the army ranks, a position which she was said to have loyally followed.
In 219 Guan Yu was killed by
Battle of Fancheng
The Battle of Fancheng or the Battle of Fan Castle was fought between the warlords Liu Bei and Cao Cao in 219 in the late Eastern Han dynasty. It is named after Fancheng in present-day Xiangyang, Hubei, a fortress that played a significant rol ...
. Guan Suo and Bao Sanniang fled to the territory of the Bao family. To avenge the death of Guan Yu, Liu Bei marched with his troops against
Sun Quan
Sun Quan (, Chinese: 孫權) (183 – 21 May 252), courtesy name Zhongmou (), posthumously known as Emperor Da of Wu, was the founder of the Eastern Wu dynasty, one of the Three Kingdoms of China. He inherited control of the warlord regime es ...
at the
Battle of Xiaoting
The Battle of Xiaoting (猇亭之戰), also known as the Battle of Yiling and the Battle of Yiling and Xiaoting, was fought between the state of Shu and the state of Wu, between the years 221 and 222 in the early Three Kingdoms period of China ...
. Liu Bei suffered a humiliating defeat and died months later in disgrace.
After hearing this, Bao Sanniang prepared to return to Cheng Du, Guan Suo introduced himself to
Zhuge Liang
Zhuge Liang ( zh, t=諸葛亮 / 诸葛亮) (181 – September 234), courtesy name Kongming, was a Chinese statesman and military strategist. He was chancellor and later regent of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period. He is r ...
saying:
After the fall of Jingzhou, I was hidden by the Bao family from where I wanted to go to the River Lands to ask the First Ruler for a revenge against my father. But I fell in illness, which was long and severe, and I only just recovered. I was then travelling towards Chengdu to meet with the Latter Ruler, when I met the army in the south expedition. I know that vengeance has been taken upon the murderers of my father. And now I want to present myself to the Prime Minister.
At this time Zhuge Liang was about to start a military campaign. Seeing the two young military commanders, Guan Suo and Bao Sanniang, Zhuge Liang ordered that they both participated in the Invasion at Nanzhong. The military commander ordered the two of them not to give up, in order to do their duty, Guan Suo and Bao Sanniang bade each other in tears for the last time. Bao Sanniang was stationed at the gate and defended then of the fierce attack of
Meng Huo
Meng Huo was a local leader in the Nanzhong region in the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was popularly depicted as a local leader representing the gentries of the Nanzhong region, but some historians doubt his h ...
army. She has the courage to make a plan and keeps
Meng You
The following is a list of fictional people significant to the Three Kingdoms period (220–280) of China. The list includes characters in the 14th-century historical novel ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'' by Luo Guanzhong and those found in othe ...
busy at the castle doors for Guan Suo to advance against the main field of the enemy.
Both fought bravely and fought many battles. Guan Suo ends up dying in a battle. After learning of her husband's death, instead of crying for her farewell, Bao Sanniang guarded the Jiameng pass until her death.
Koei
Koei Co., Ltd. was a Japanese video game publisher, developer, and distributor founded in 1978. The company is known for its ''Dynasty Warriors'' games based on the novel ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'', as well as simulation games based on p ...
's ''
Romance of the Three Kingdoms
''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'' () is a 14th-century historical novel attributed to Luo Guanzhong. It is set in the turbulent years towards the end of the Han dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period in Chinese history, starting in 184 AD and ...
'' video game series. She is also introduced as a new playable character in the seventh instalment of Koei's ''
Dynasty Warriors
is a series of Japanese hack and slash action video games created by Omega Force and Koei (now is Koei Tecmo). The series is a spin-off of Koei's turn-based strategy '' Romance of the Three Kingdoms'' series, based upon the Chinese novel of ...
'' series, as well as in the spin-off game ''
Warriors Orochi 3
''Warriors Orochi 3'', originally released as in Japan, is a 2011 hack and slash video game developed by Tecmo Koei and Omega Force for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. This is the fourth installment of the crossover series ''Warriors Orochi'', a ...
''.
See also
*
Lists of people of the Three Kingdoms
The following are lists of people significant to the Three Kingdoms period (220–280) of Chinese history. Their names in Mandarin pinyin are sorted in alphabetical order.
Fictional characters in the 14th-century historical novel ''Romance of ...
*
List of fictional people of the Three Kingdoms
The following is a list of fictional people significant to the Three Kingdoms period (220–280) of China. The list includes characters in the 14th-century historical novel ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'' by Luo Guanzhong and those found in othe ...