The Dugu sisters were part-
Xianbei
The Xianbei (; ) were a Proto-Mongolic ancient nomadic people that once resided in the eastern Eurasian steppes in what is today Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Northeastern China. They originated from the Donghu people who splintered into th ...
, part-
Han
Han may refer to:
Ethnic groups
* Han Chinese, or Han People (): the name for the largest ethnic group in China, which also constitutes the world's largest ethnic group.
** Han Taiwanese (): the name for the ethnic group of the Taiwanese p ...
sisters of the
Dugu clan who lived in the
Western Wei
Wei (), known in historiography as the Western Wei (), was an imperial dynasty of China that followed the disintegration of the Northern Wei. One of the Northern dynasties during the era of the Northern and Southern dynasties, it ruled the weste ...
(535–557),
Northern Zhou
Zhou (), known in historiography as the Northern Zhou (), was a Xianbei-led dynasty of China that lasted from 557 to 581. One of the Northern dynasties of China's Northern and Southern dynasties period, it succeeded the Western Wei dynasty a ...
(557–581) and
Sui (581–618) dynasties of China. All were daughters of the Western Wei general
Dugu Xin
Dugu Xin ( Chinese: 獨孤信; 503 – 24 April 557), Xianbei name Qimitou (期彌頭), known as Dugu Ruyuan (獨孤如願) before 540, was a prominent general and official during the chaotic Northern and Southern dynasties period of imperial Chi ...
. The
eldest sister became a Northern Zhou Empress, the
seventh sister became a Sui dynasty Empress, and the fourth sister was posthumously honored as an Empress of the
Tang dynasty
The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdom ...
(618–907). The seventh sister Dugu Qieluo, in particular, was one of the most influential women in ancient China history, owing to her closeness to her husband, the
Emperor Wen of Sui, throughout their 45-year monogamous marriage, and because of the power she gained from her closeness to her husband. Some authors wrote that the three sisters "married emperors" or "married into imperial families". However, at the time of their marriages, none of their husbands were members of an imperial family (yet): each of the three sisters became an Empress or a posthumous Empress after a dynastic change. Out of the three dynasty changes, only the first—the usurpation of the Western Wei throne by the
s—is considered a long time coming, in which the Dugus played no role. In both Yang Jian's
and Li Yuan's (
Emperor Gaozu of Tang
Emperor Gaozu of Tang (7 April 566 – 25 June 635, born Li Yuan, courtesy name Shude) was the founding emperor of the Tang dynasty of China, reigning from 618 to 626. Under the Sui dynasty, Li Yuan was the governor in the area of modern-day ...
) rise to power, family ties to the ruling house (through the sisters and Dugu Qieluo's daughter
Yang Lihua
Yang Lihua (; 561–609) was an empress of the Xianbei-led Chinese Northern Zhou dynasty, and later a princess of Sui dynasty. Her husband was Emperor Xuan of Northern Zhou (Yuwen Yun), and her father was Yang Jian who later usurped the Nort ...
) were important.
Family tree
* – Dugu sisters
* –
Western Wei
Wei (), known in historiography as the Western Wei (), was an imperial dynasty of China that followed the disintegration of the Northern Wei. One of the Northern dynasties during the era of the Northern and Southern dynasties, it ruled the weste ...
(535–557) emperors
* –
Northern Zhou
Zhou (), known in historiography as the Northern Zhou (), was a Xianbei-led dynasty of China that lasted from 557 to 581. One of the Northern dynasties of China's Northern and Southern dynasties period, it succeeded the Western Wei dynasty a ...
(557–581) emperors
* –
Western Liang (555–587)
Liang, known in historiography as the Western Liang () or the Later Liang (), was an imperial dynasty of China during the Northern and Southern dynasties era of Chinese history. Throughout its existence, it remained a puppet state of the Weste ...
emperors
* –
Sui dynasty (581–618) emperors
* –
Tang dynasty
The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdom ...
(618–907) emperors
Basic information
No physical descriptions of them survived but their father was said to be very handsome.
Dugu Xin
Dugu Xin ( Chinese: 獨孤信; 503 – 24 April 557), Xianbei name Qimitou (期彌頭), known as Dugu Ruyuan (獨孤如願) before 540, was a prominent general and official during the chaotic Northern and Southern dynasties period of imperial Chi ...
was an ethnic (
sinicized
Sinicization, sinofication, sinification, or sinonization (from the prefix , 'Chinese, relating to China') is the process by which non-Chinese societies come under the influence of Chinese culture, particularly the language, societal norms, cul ...
[) ]Xianbei
The Xianbei (; ) were a Proto-Mongolic ancient nomadic people that once resided in the eastern Eurasian steppes in what is today Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Northeastern China. They originated from the Donghu people who splintered into th ...
but both his wives Lady Guo and Lady Cui appear to be Han Chinese
The Han Chinese () or Han people (), are an East Asian ethnic group native to China. They constitute the world's largest ethnic group, making up about 18% of the global population and consisting of various subgroups speaking distinctiv ...
. The Dugus were all literate (in Classical Chinese
Classical Chinese, also known as Literary Chinese (古文 ''gǔwén'' "ancient text", or 文言 ''wényán'' "text speak", meaning
"literary language/speech"; modern vernacular: 文言文 ''wényánwén'' "text speak text", meaning
"literar ...
), cultivated, and pious Buddhist
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
s.
In popular culture
The 2018 Chinese TV series ''The Legend of Dugu
''The Legend of Dugu'' () is a 2018 Chinese television series starring Hu Bingqing, Zhang Danfeng, Ady An, Jeremy Tsui and Li Yixiao. The series chronicles the life of the Dugu Sisters. It premiered on Tencent on February 21, 2018.
Synopsis
Du ...
'' stars Hu Bingqing
Hu Bingqing (, born 25 January 1992) is a Chinese actress who graduated from the Shanghai Institute of Visual Art. She is recognized for her role as Qi Baicao in '' The Whirlwind Girl'' (2015), Gao Yue in '' The Legend of Qin'' (2015) and Dugu Qi ...
as Dugu Jialuo (i.e. Dugu Qieluo), Ady An
An Yi-xuan (; born 吳玟靜 on 29 September 1980), also known as Ady An, is a Taiwanese actress and singer who was discovered when she was working in a coffee shop. Born on September 29, 1980, she also is known as Audrey An and Wu Wen Ching. A ...
as the eldest sister Dugu Banruo, and Li Yixiao as the middle sister Dugu Mantuo.
See also
*Two Qiaos
The Two Qiaos of Jiangdong () were two sisters of the Qiao family who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China.
In historical records
The Qiao sisters' names were not recorded in history, so in later times they are simply referred ...
*Soong sisters
The Soong sisters () were Soong Ai-ling, Soong Ching-ling, and Soong Mei-ling, three Shanghainese (of Hakka descent) Christian Chinese women who were, along with their husbands, amongst China's most significant political figures of the early ...
References
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dugu sisters
6th-century Chinese women
6th-century Chinese people
7th-century Chinese women
7th-century Chinese people
Sibling trios
Northern Zhou people