Zhu Meichuo (2 May 1630 – 26 September 1647), known by her title Princess Changping, was a Chinese princess of 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 ...

. She was one of the children of the

Chongzhen Emperor The Chongzhen Emperor (; 6 February 1611 – 25 April 1644), personal name Zhu Youjian (), courtesy name Deyue (),Wang Yuan (王源)，''Ju ye tang wen ji'' (《居業堂文集》), vol. 19. "聞之張景蔚親見烈皇帝神主題御諱字德� ...

and Empress Zhou.

Biography

Changping was born to the

and Empress Zhou. Changping had 2 sisters: Princess Kunyi, Princess Zhaoren and 6 brothers: Prince Daoliang, Zhu Cican, Zhu Cizhao, Zhu Cilang, Zhu Cihuan, Zhu Cijiong. She was known for her ingenuity. At the age of 16, her father arranged for her marriage to Zhou Xian (周顯; a.k.a. Zhou Shixian 周世顯), a military officer. However, their wedding was cancelled as

Li Zicheng Li Zicheng (22 September 1606 – 1645), born Li Hongji, also known by the nickname, Dashing King, was a Chinese peasant rebel leader who overthrew the Ming dynasty in 1644 and ruled over northern China briefly as the emperor of the short-li ...

and his rebel army was entering the palace. When the capital eventually fell to the rebels, because the plan of the emperor failed, even though the Chongzhen Emperor loved his family, he had to kill them, because he was afraid that after his death, his children's fate would be the same as happened with the fall of the Song dynasty: the princes were tortured until they died and the princesses were forced to become prostitutes. At that moment, Changping found her mother's dead body at the temple. Crying and holding her mother's dress, her father came shouting at her "Why must you be born in this family?", and slashed his sword at her, cutting off her left arm. Changping fainted due to blood loss, after that having the luck to be saved by a eunuch. Nobody thought that she would survive, but she regained consciousness five days later, and found out that her father had committed suicide by hanging himself on a tree in front of the Forbidden City. In 1645, Changping asked the

Shunzhi Emperor The Shunzhi Emperor (15 March 1638 – 5 February 1661) was the second Emperor of China, emperor of the Qing dynasty of China, and the first Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning from 1644 to 1661. A Deliberative Council of Prince ...

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 ...

, which had replaced the Ming dynasty, for permission to become a

Buddhist nun 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 gra ...

. The emperor refused and arranged for her to marry Zhou Xian. Changping got pregnant from this marriage, while 16~17 years old. Princess Changping died during her pregnancy following an illness.

In popular culture

Changping had a greater impact on folklore and popular culture than history, with various stories revolving around the concept that she survived her early death. A popular Cantonese opera

The Flower Princess ''Di Nü Hua'' is a fictional Chinese story about Princess Changping of the Ming Dynasty and her husband/lover, Zhou Shixian. The first known story was a Kunqu script written in the Qing Dynasty, while the second version was a Cantonese opera from ...

() has her as a protagonist, and her beloved husband. Based on its first script and other publications, the first adaption debuted in 1957 at the Lee Theatre. In 1981, ATV Home adapted the play into a television drama titled ''Princess Cheung Ping'' (Chinese: 武侠帝女花), in a wuxia setting, starring Damian Lau, Michelle Yim and David Chiang. In 2003, TVB produced ''Perish in the Name of Love'', a television series loosely based on the original play. Steven Ma and Charmaine Sheh starred in the leading roles. A known tale about her tells that Changping became a nun after the fall of the Ming dynasty. She practiced martial arts and became a leader of the resistance movement against the Qing dynasty. She was nicknamed "One Armed Divine Nun" (獨臂神尼) for her formidable martial art skills. One of her disciples was Lü Siniang (呂四娘), the heroine who assassinated the Yongzheng Emperor in folklore. Changping also appears as a major character in Louis Cha's novel ''Sword Stained With Royal Blood''. She is called A'jiu in the novel and has a romantic relationship with the protagonist, Yuan Chengzhi. However at the end of the novel, after losing an arm and with her coming back to life, she decides to become a nun and she changes her name to Jiunan. Also, she has a minor role in ''The Deer And The Cauldron'', another of Louis Cha's novels that is regarded as an unofficial sequel to ''Sword Stained With Royal Blood''. In ''The Deer And The Cauldron'', Jiunan becomes a martial arts teacher to the protagonist, Wei Xiaobao.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Changping, Princess Ming dynasty princesses Legendary Chinese people Buddhist folklore Chinese amputees 1630 births 1647 deaths Royalty and nobility with disabilities Daughters of emperors People from Beijing

Biography

In popular culture

See also

References