Zhao Luanluan (),

courtesy name A courtesy name (), also known as a style name, is a name bestowed upon one at adulthood in addition to one's given name. This practice is a tradition in the East Asian cultural sphere, including China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.Ulrich Theobald ...

Wenyuan (), was a Chinese poet who lived during the Zhizheng reign (1341–1367), a chaotic period at the end of the

Yuan dynasty The Yuan dynasty (), officially the Great Yuan (; xng, , , literally "Great Yuan State"), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after its division. It was established by Kublai, the fifth ...

. She is incorrectly included in the ''

Quan Tangshi (''Complete Tang Poems'') is the largest collection of Tang poetry, containing some 49,000 lyric poems by more than twenty-two hundred poets. In 1705, it was commissioned at the direction of the Qing dynasty Kangxi Emperor and published under ...

'', a

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 ...

anthology of

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 ...

poems, whose compilers assumed that 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 ...

because she composed some erotic poems.

Biography

The

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

author Li Zhen or Li Changqi ( 李昌祺; 1376–1452), a near contemporary of Zhao Luanluan, wrote the ''Biography of Luanluan'' (). This account, although dramatized and not entirely credible, is the only extant record about Zhao's life. According to Li Zhen, Zhao Luanluan was born to an elite family in Dongping, in modern

Shandong Shandong ( , ; ; alternately romanized as Shantung) is a coastal province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the East China region. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilizati ...

province. She was first married to an impotent man with the surname Gu, who died a few months after their marriage. She then married Liu Ying (), but was kidnapped by the rebel leader Tian Feng's army. During her captivity she composed and sent to her husband a four-verse poem, which emulated a poem written by the famous 2nd-century poet

Cai Yan Cai Yan ( 178 – post 206; or 170–215; or died 249), courtesy name Wenji, was a Chinese composer, poet, and writer who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. She was the daughter of Cai Yong. Her courtesy name was original ...

when she was held captive by 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 ...

. Liu took great risks to find his wife and managed to gain her release, and the couple took refuge in the Culai Mountain () in Shandong. Liu Ying, however, was later captured and killed by the rebels, and Zhao threw herself on her husband's

funeral pyre A pyre ( grc, πυρά; ''pyrá'', from , ''pyr'', "fire"), also known as a funeral pyre, is a structure, usually made of wood, for burning a body as part of a funeral rite or execution. As a form of cremation, a body is placed upon or under the ...

. The story of Zhao Luanluan and her husband inspired a late-Yuan or early-Ming ''nanxi'' drama called ''Liu Ying'', which has been lost.

Poetry

The

compilers of the ''

'' (''Complete Collection of Tang Poetry'') mistook Zhao Luanluan as a

poet and included her poems in the anthology. Moreover, they thought she was a

working in Pingkang, the entertainment district of the Tang capital

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 ...

, because some of her poems are erotic in nature. This characterization is repeated in some modern sources. Five of Zhao Luanluan's poems are extant, which are collectively called "Five Lyric Outcries from the

Boudoir A boudoir (; ) is a woman's private sitting room or salon in a furnished residence, usually between the dining room and the bedroom, but can also refer to a woman's private bedroom. The term derives from the French verb ''bouder'' (to sulk ...

". One of Zhao's erotic poems is ''Su Ru'' (), translated as "Succulent Breasts" or "Creamy Breasts": ::酥乳Succulent Breasts :粉香汗湿瑶琴轸A whiff of powder, damp with sweat, rare jade turning-pegs: :春逗酥融绵雨膏Aroused by spring, they glisten, gleam, sleek as silkfloss-rains. :浴罢檀郎扪弄处When, fresh from the bath, her sweet-scent lover teases with a touch, :灵华凉沁紫葡萄Those magical buds feel shivery-wet—those dusky-purple grapes!

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zhao, Luanluan Date of birth unknown Date of death missing 14th-century Chinese poets Yuan dynasty poets Chinese women poets Suicides by self-immolation Suicides in China Poets from Shandong Writers from Tai'an 14th-century Chinese women writers