Lady Li (李夫人, died between 104 and 101 BC), also rendered as Li Fu-jēn, was a

Han dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...

concubine of Emperor Wu. Civil unrest broke out between her family and

Wei Zifu Wei Zifu (; died 91 BC), posthumously known as Empress Si of the Filial Wu () or Wei Si Hou (衛思后, "Wei the Thoughtful Empress"), was an empress consort during ancient China's Han dynasty. She was the second wife of the famous Emperor Wu ...

's family. Moreover, her siblings defected to the

Xiongnu The Xiongnu (, ) were a tribal confederation of nomadic peoples who, according to ancient Chinese sources, inhabited the eastern Eurasian Steppe from the 3rd century BC to the late 1st century AD. Modu Chanyu, the supreme leader after 20 ...

and became traitors to China. As a result, Emperor Wu ordered her relatives to be tried and executed, leading to the downfall of her and her family.

Biography

As concubine

She was allegedly the inspiration for ''The Beauty Song'', composed by her brother Li Yannian. Lady Li's brother Li Yannian was a musician for

Princess Pingyang Princess Pingyang (, formally Princess Zhao of Pingyang (, 590s–623) was the daughter of Li Yuan (later enthroned as Emperor Gaozu), the founding emperor of the Tang dynasty. She helped him to seize power and eventually take over the throne f ...

. After he performed ''The Beauty Song'' () for Emperor Wu, the Emperor asked Li Yannian if he knew of such a woman, to which Princess Pingyang responded that the song was about Li's sister. The Emperor thus requested to meet with Lady Li, and she became one of his concubines. She had one son named Bo (髆). However, although composed in the

persona A persona (plural personae or personas), depending on the context, is the public image of one's personality, the social role that one adopts, or simply a fictional character. The word derives from Latin, where it originally referred to a theatr ...

of Han Wudi, there is doubt as to the actual authorship of this and similar poems.

Treason and execution of her family

In the civil unrest between the Li family and Empress

's family, several of Li's relatives were killed and executed. At the time Empress Wei Zifu was the head wife of Liu Che, and Wei and Li were jealous of each other.

Book of Han The ''Book of Han'' or ''History of the Former Han'' (Qián Hàn Shū,《前汉书》) is a history of China finished in 111AD, covering the Western, or Former Han dynasty from the first emperor in 206 BCE to the fall of Wang Mang in 23 CE. ...

Moreover,

Li Guangli Li Guangli (died 88 BC) was a Chinese military general of the Western Han dynasty and a member of the Li family favoured by Emperor Wu of Han. His brother Li Yannian was also close to Emperor Wu. With the suicide of Emperor Wu's crown prince Li ...

later surrendered to the

circa 90-89 BC and was accused of being a

traitor Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...

. His grandson

Li Ling Li Ling (, died 74 BC), courtesy name Shaoqing (少卿), was a Chinese military general of the Han Dynasty who served during the reign of Emperor Wu (汉武帝) and later defected to the Xiongnu after being defeated in an expedition in 99 BC. ...

also defected to the Xiongnu. Li's family was then tried and executed for

treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...

. With the suicide of Emperor Wu's crown prince Liu Ju in 91 BC, her son Liu Bo was among the candidates for the title of crown prince. However, the title ultimately went to young Liu Fuling, who succeeded Emperor Wu as

Emperor Zhao of Han Emperor Zhao of Han (Liu Fuling 劉弗陵; 94 BC – 5 June 74 BC) was the emperor of the Western Han dynasty from 87 to 74 BC. Emperor Zhao was the youngest son of Emperor Wu of Han. By the time he was born, Emperor Wu was already 62. Prince Fu ...

. In any case, Liu Bo predeceased his father. Her grandson, Liu Bo's son, Prince He of Changyi, was enthroned as emperor as Emperor Zhao's successor, but was removed from his position after 27 days by

Huo Guang Huo Guang (; died 68 BC), courtesy name Zimeng (子孟), was a Chinese military general and politician who served as the dominant state official of the Western Han dynasty from 87 BCE until his death in 68 BCE. The younger half-brother of the re ...

. Li's grandson was impeached on 1127 charges of misconduct committed, and afterwards, Li's grandson was not included on the official historical list of Han emperors.

Death

At the end of her life, Lady Li became gravely ill. She refused to allow Emperor Wu to see her face, citing the loss of her beauty. Upon Wudi's urging, Li went further and refused to even speak. As such, Wudi left unhappily. The lady's sisters then admonished her for not allowing the emperor to see her face. The date of Lady Li's death is unrecorded, but is calculated to be between 104 and 101 BC, as her brother Li Guangli was sent to attack

Dayuan Dayuan (or Tayuan; ; Middle Chinese ''dâiC-jwɐn'' < LHC: ''dɑh-ʔyɑn'') is the Chinese

twice during this period, and it was recorded that Lady Li had passed away before Li Guangli returned from his second expedition. But soon later Li Guangli and Li Ling defected to the Xiongnu, and her family was executed for

.M. Loewe, 53.

Remembrance

Because of her short but vibrant life, the emperor had her named the goddess of the Hollyhock blossom. She was said to be beautiful and sweet, just like the blossom.

Popular culture

* Portrayed by Zhan Jie in the 1990 TV series ''Han Wudi'' * Portrayed by He Jiayi in the 2000 BMN TV series

The Prince of Han Dynasty ''The Prince of Han Dynasty'' is a three-season Chinese television series featuring a fictionalised life story of Liu Che, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. Season 1 was first broadcast on Beijing Television in 2001 in mainland China, followed by t ...

* Portrayed by Gao Tingting in the 2005 CCTV TV series

The Emperor in Han Dynasty ''The Emperor in Han Dynasty'', also released under the title ''The Emperor Han Wu'' in some countries, is a 2005 Chinese historical drama television series based on the life of Emperor Wu of Han, Emperor Wu of the Han dynasty. It uses the histori ...

* Portrayed by Zhang Xuan in the 2014 Zhejiang Huace Film and

Now TV Now most commonly refers to the present time. Now, NOW, or The Now may also refer to: Organizations * Natal Organisation of Women, a South African women's organization * National Organization for Women, an American feminist organization * No ...

collaborative TV series

The Virtuous Queen of Han ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

* Portrayed by

Fala Chen Fala Chen (; born 24 February 1982) is a Chinese American actress. She is known for her roles in Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero film ''Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings'' and HBO miniseries ''Irma Vep'' and ''The Undoing''. Che ...

in the 2014 HT TV series Sound of the Desert

Notes

References

*M. Loewe, Crisis and Conflict in Han China * Rexroth, Kenneth (1970). '' Love and the Turning Year: One Hundred More Poems from the Chinese''. New York: New Directions. * ''

'', vol. 97, Part 1. *''

Records of the Grand Historian ''Records of the Grand Historian'', also known by its Chinese name ''Shiji'', is a monumental history of China that is the first of China's 24 dynastic histories. The ''Records'' was written in the early 1st century by the ancient Chinese his ...

'', volume 49 {{DEFAULTSORT:Li, Furen 100s BC deaths Year of birth unknown Year of death uncertain 2nd-century BC Chinese women 2nd-century BC Chinese people Han dynasty posthumous empresses