Hongfu (), is a legendary Chinese folk heroine from imperial

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

whose birth name was Zhang Chuchen (張出塵, alternatively 張初塵). She was purported to have lived during the

Transition from Sui to Tang The transition from Sui to Tang (613–628) was the period of Chinese history between the end of the Sui dynasty and the start of the Tang dynasty. The Sui dynasty's territories were carved into a handful of short-lived states by its officials, ...

and was originally described in ''Biography of the Dragon-Beard Man'' from 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 a

courtesan Courtesan, in modern usage, is a euphemism for a "kept" mistress (lover), mistress or prostitute, particularly one with wealthy, powerful, or influential clients. The term historically referred to a courtier, a person who attended the Royal cour ...

in the court of

Sui Dynasty The Sui dynasty (, ) was a short-lived imperial dynasty of China that lasted from 581 to 618. The Sui unified the Northern and Southern dynasties, thus ending the long period of division following the fall of the Western Jin dynasty, and layi ...

minister

Yang Su Yang Su (楊素; died August 31, 606), courtesy name Chudao (處道), formally Duke Jingwu of Chu (楚景武公), was a Chinese military general and politician of the Sui dynasty whose authority eventually became nearly as supreme as the emperor' ...

and eloped with Li Jing, an ally and future general of future Tang emperor

Li Shimin Emperor Taizong of Tang (28January 59810July 649), previously Prince of Qin, personal name Li Shimin, was the second emperor of the Tang dynasty of China, ruling from 626 to 649. He is traditionally regarded as a co-founder of the dynasty ...

. Hongfu, along with Li Jing and the "Dragon Beard Man," Qiu Ranke, are known as the "Three Heroes of the Wind and Dust" (風塵三俠). She was one of the few female

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; a ...

masters.

Legend

Born Zhang Chuchen, her parents were from southern China who migrated north to

Chang'an Chang'an (; ) is the traditional name of Xi'an. The site had been settled since Neolithic times, during which the Yangshao culture was established in Banpo, in the city's suburbs. Furthermore, in the northern vicinity of modern Xi'an, Qin Shi ...

in the unification wars of the

. Zhang became a courtesan in the court of Sui minister Yang Su, where she specialized in song and dance. Because she often wore red, she became known as Hongfu, or Red Sleeves. According to legend, she saw Li Jing when he came to petition Yang Su to address the grievances of the common people. Zhang fell in love with Li and eloped with him. Hongfu and Li Jing first allied themselves with Qiu Ranke to overthrow the Sui Dynasty, becoming the Three Heroes of the Wind and Dust. After meeting future emperor Li Shimin, Qiu Ranke forsook this ambition. Hongfu and Li Jing allied themselves with Li Shimin and helped Li Shimin and his father

Li Yuan 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-da ...

establish the Tang Dynasty. Qiu Ranke on went to establish his own kingdom of Fusu (alternatively, Fuyu) to the southeast. Hongfu and Li Jing lived together as wife and husband until she died of illness in AD 640. Li Jing, then 70 years of age, survived her by nine years.

In popular culture

The story of Hongfu first appears in the Tang Dynasty book ''Biography of the Dragon-Beard Man'' by

Du Guangting Du Guangting (杜光庭; 850–933) was a Taoist priest and fiction writer in imperial China's Tang dynasty and the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. His most famous work was a short novel entitled "The Man with the Curly Beard" (虯髯客� ...

. She is also alluded to in ''

Dream of the Red Chamber ''Dream of the Red Chamber'' (''Honglou Meng'') or ''The Story of the Stone'' (''Shitou Ji'') is a novel composed by Cao Xueqin in the middle of the 18th century. One of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature, it is known for ...

'' when

Lin Daiyu Lin Daiyu (also spelled Lin Tai-yu, zh, s=林黛玉, p=Lín Dàiyù, rendered Black Jade in Chi-chen Wang's translation) is one of the principal characters of Cao Xueqin's classic 18th-century Chinese novel ''Dream of the Red Chamber''. She is ...

is compared to Hongfu. Hongfu is also one of the main characters in the 1966 novel ''Heroes of the Red Dust'' (風塵三俠) by author Gao Yang. In 1998, actress

Angela Pan Angela Pan Yin-tze (born 5 June 1949), or Violet Pan Ying Zi, is a Hong Kong actress who starred in numerous films and soap operas in the 1970s–1980s. Life and career Pan started her career in Hong Kong in films and stage shows. She became ...

portrayed Hongfu in the television series, ''Qiu Ranke and Hong Fu Nü''. In 2006,

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

ese

actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a Character (arts), character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek ...

Shu Qi use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = , death_cause = , body_discovered = , resting_place = , resting_place_coordinate ...

portrayed Hongfu in the television series ''

Romance of Red Dust ''Romance of Red Dust'', also known as ''The Three Musketeers'' and ''The Lady in Red'', is a Chinese television series based on the Tang dynasty legend of the "Three Heroes of Wind and Dust" (風塵三俠) — Hong Fu Nü, Li Jing and Qiu Ran Ke ...

'' (風塵三俠之紅拂女).

References

Bibliography

* {{Prostitution in China Ancient Chinese women Legendary Chinese people Chinese courtesans 7th-century Chinese women 7th-century Chinese people 640 deaths