Fan Lihua (樊梨花) is a fictional folk heroine in

Chinese folklore Chinese folklore encompasses the folklore of China, and includes songs, poetry, dances, puppetry, and tales. It often tells stories of human nature, historical or legendary events, love, and the supernatural. The stories often explain natural phen ...

and a legendary female general from the Western Liang during the early years of the

Tang Dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...

. She was the wife of

Xue Dingshan Xue () is the pinyin romanization of the Chinese surname 薛 (Xuē). It is romanized as Hsüeh in Wade-Giles. In Hong Kong and Macau it is usually romanized through its Cantonese pronunciation Sit. In Korean, it corresponds to Seol (설), in Ja ...

and the daughter-in-law of the famous early Tang Dynasty general,

Xue Rengui Xue Rengui (; 614 – 24 March 683), formal name Xue Li (薛礼) but went by the courtesy name of Rengui, was a Chinese military general during the early Tang Dynasty. He is one of the most well-known military generals of his time due to his hum ...

. Fan Lihua is one of the four folk heroines of ancient China along with

Hua Mulan Hua Mulan () is a legendary folk heroine from the Northern and Southern dynasties era (4th to 6th century CE) of Chinese history. According to legend, Mulan took her aged father's place in the conscription for the army by disguising herself as ...

, Mu Guiying and

Liang Hongyu Liang Hongyu (1102–1135) was a Chinese general of the Song Dynasty. She became famous during the Jin–Song wars against the Jurchen-led Jin dynasty. Her real given name was lost in time. She was simply referenced in the official Chines ...

. The story of her husband Xue Dingshan, fighting alongside each other on the battlefield is well-known and has had a far-reaching influence. Fan Lihua's legendary stories are expressed in various forms of literary and artistic works, especially in movies, TV dramas and songs.

Records

The first written record of Fan Lihua is the "Shuo Tang San Zhuan" (说唐三传, Three Stories from the Tang Dynasty) by Rulian Jushi, written during the Qianlong period of the

Qing Dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

. One of the three stories is "Xue Dingshan Zhengxi", which is about the love story between Xue Dingshan and Fan Lihua. The story of Fan Lihua was later incorporated into a number of works.

Legend

According to legend, Fan Lihua was born in Western Liang State during the Tang Dynasty. Fan Lihua's mother passed away at an early age, leaving her to be raised by her father and brothers. Her father, Fan Hong, was a general assigned to defend the borders of the Western Turks who later converted to a Turk. Both Fan Lihua's brothers, Han Long and Han Hu, were assistants to Fan Hong. Fan Lihua, who had developed a forthright, outspoken personality, practiced martial arts with her master,

Lishan Laomu Líshān Lǎomǔ () is the goddess of Mount Li in Chinese religion. She is a popular female immortal in the Taoist pantheon, and a high-ranking one according to some late sources. Her origins are said to derive from Nü Wa, the legendary creat ...

, for eight years and was said to have been highly skilled in martial arts. Lishan Laomu, told Fan Lihua that she was destined to marry a Tang citizen and that their marriage would unite the two kingdoms and bring forth a period of peace and harmony. Unfortunately, this was not to be. Fan Lihua married Xue Dingshan whose father, Xue Rengui, was a renowned general, loyal to the early Tang Dynasty. The Xue family despised Western Liang citizens, with whom they had long been at war. Upon marrying into the Xue Family, Fan Lihua convinced her father and brothers to surrender and take refuge under the Tang Empire, but before they could reach China, her father and brothers were slain by General Yang Fan, a former fiancé of Fan Lihua. Seeking to avenge their deaths, Fan Lihua continued to assist her husband in the fight against the invaders. After many years of fighting, the Tang Empire were victorious against Western Liang. During the final battle of the war, Yang Fan was killed by Fan Lihua. Yang Fan's soul was said to have exacted revenge on Fan Lihua by reincarnating as her son with Xue Dingshan, Xue Gang. Later in life, Xue Gang, under the influence of alcohol would kill the Seventh Prince of Tang who was on tour during the

Lantern Festival The Lantern Festival ( zh, t=元宵節, s=元宵节, first=t, hp=Yuánxiāo jié), also called Shangyuan Festival ( zh, t=上元節, s=上元节, first=t, hp=Shàngyuán jié), is a Chinese traditional festival celebrated on the fifteenth d ...

. Upon learning of the death of his son,

Emperor Gaozong of Tang Emperor Gaozong of Tang (21 July 628 – 27 December 683), personal name Li Zhi, was the third emperor of the Tang dynasty in China, ruling from 649 to 683; after January 665, he handed power over the empire to his second wife Empress Wu (the f ...

died of shock. Xue Gang was determined guilty of the crime of slaying a king and the entire Xue Family was sentenced to death by

Wu Zetian Wu Zetian (17 February 624 – 16 December 705), personal name Wu Zhao, was the ''de facto'' ruler of the Tang dynasty from 665 to 705, ruling first through others and then (from 690) in her own right. From 665 to 690, she was first empres ...

. Xue Gang was able to escape his execution and Fan Lihua was miraculously rescued Lishan Laomu, who brought her to heaven. Some folktales say that Xue Dingshan and Fan Lihua were originally the Golden Boy and Jade Girl. The

Jade Emperor The Jade Emperor or Yudi ( or , ') in Chinese culture, traditional religions and myth is one of the representations of the first god ( '). In Daoist theology he is the assistant of Yuanshi Tianzun, who is one of the Three Pure Ones, the three ...

was furious with them and wanted to punish them for breaking the celestial utensils. Fortunately, the

Old Man of the South Pole The Old Man of the South Pole (in or ja, 南極老人) is the Taoist deification of Canopus, the brightest star of the constellation Carina. It is the symbol of happiness and longevity in Far Eastern culture. Description The Old Man of the S ...

begged for their mercy and was demoted to the mortal world. The Jade Girl accidentally bumped into the Five Ghost Stars whilst leaving the Heaven hall, and then smiled apologetically, knowing that the Five Ghost Stars would also go down to the earth and get entangled with the Jade Girl. The Five Ghost Stars were Yang Fan.

Worship

Fan Lihua is worshipped as a deity in

Chinese folk religion Chinese folk religion, also known as Chinese popular religion comprehends a range of traditional religious practices of Han Chinese, including the Chinese diaspora. Vivienne Wee described it as "an empty bowl, which can variously be filled ...

, where she is also known as Marshal Fan Lihua. Her statue often appears in temples dedicated to Lishan Laomu.

In popular culture

The story of Fan Lihua and her husband Xue Dingshan is often used as a subject for

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 ...

. There is a drama film named Xue Dingshan San Qi Fan Lihua based on the couple.

Film and television

*Portrayed by

Jessica Hsuan Jessica Hester Hsuan (; PA: syn hyn, also known as Suen Huen, is a Hong Kong actress. Early life Hsuan's father gave her the name Jessica, while her mother gave her the middle name Hester. She was educated in Hong Kong at Maryknoll Convent S ...

in the 2004

TVB Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB) is a television broadcasting company based in Hong Kong SAR. The Company operates five free-to-air terrestrial television channels in Hong Kong, with TVB Jade as its main Cantonese language service, and ...

series '' Lady Fan'' *Portrayed by

Qin Lan Qin Lan (; born 17 July 1979) is a Chinese actress, model, and singer. She is known for her roles as Empress Fuca in ''Story of Yanxi Palace'', Zhihua in '' My Fair Princess III'' and Mo Xiangwan in '' We Are All Alone''. Career Qin won a Golde ...

in the 2012 historical series ' (Great Tang's Female General: Fan Lihua)

References

{{Reflist Legendary Chinese people Chinese warriors Women warriors Women in ancient Chinese warfare