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| [Photo/ english.cguardian.com] |
7. Farewell My Concubine
Consort Yu, also known as 'Yu the Beauty', was the concubine of the warlord Xiang Yu. In 209 BCE, Xiang Yu and his uncle started a revolution to overthrow the Qin dynasty. Consort Yu's elder brother was serving in Xiang Yu’s army as a general then. Consort Yu met Xiang Yu, fell in love with him and became his concubine. Since then, she had followed Xiang Yu on his military campaigns and refused to be left behind.
In 202 BCE, Xiang Yu was besieged in the battle of Gaixia by Liu Bang (King of Han). In despair, Xiang Yu indulged in alcohol and sang the Song of Gaixia to express his sorrow. Consort Yu performed a sword dance and sang a verse in return. To prevent Xiang Yu from being distracted by his love for her, Consort Yu committed suicide with Xiang Yu's sword after singing. The romance of Xiang Yu and Consort Yu has been the subject of plays, films and a television series, even though not much about Consort Yu was recorded in history.
This painting depicts the scene where Consort Yu performs a sword dance.
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