Xi Shi
Fairest Beauty of Ancient China Wall Scroll

Xi Shi, Fairest Beauty of Ancient China

With looks powerful enough to bring down a kingdom.

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DISCOUNTED: This one has been on our shelves for a while - nothing wrong with it, just time to move the inventory.

About the Four Beauties of China

In Chinese culture, there are four famous beautiful woman of China.

They are thought to be the most beautiful and significant woman of China's ancient history.

Although the stories about these woman are based on fact, they are also steeped in legend.

These woman have remained famous through history because of the drastic effects on the emperors, kings, and kingdoms with whom they were bound.

Some of the beauties brought kingdoms and dynasties to their knees.

Most of the beauties had lives that ended in tragedy or mystery.

The legend and history of these woman has inspired Chinese artists for generations to create paintings that depict these four famous beauties of ancient China.

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More about the beauty depicted on this scroll

The woman in this painting is known as "Xi Shi"

In 487BC Xi Shi was born to a tea trader from a mountain village in what today is known as the Zhejiang Province of China.

She was always known for her beauty from a young age. And her legend states that she was as beautiful and magnificent with or without wearing any make-up or fine clothes.

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The Story:

Long ago, the kingdom of Yue was vanquished by the kingdom of Wu, and the King of Yue was put into servitude for three years by the Prince of Wu.

When the King of Yue was finally released, he slept on prickly wood, and drank gall before every meal. He did this so that he would always remember the humiliation that he suffered at the hands of the Wu Prince.

Later the king of Yue sent forth men to search for the most beautiful girl in the land. His plan was to send her as a tribute to the Prince of Wu, but not before she agreed to help bring down the Kingdom of Wu and remove the humiliation of the Yue King.

Xi Shi was chosen for the task, and agreed to give her life to restore the honor of her people. She was trained in the ways of proper etiquette, dressed in the finest robes and sent to the capital of Wu with Fan Li, one of the King's ministers.

During the long journey, Xi Shi fell in love with minister Fan Li, and they both pledged their love for each other. But this changed nothing of the important mission that Xi Shi was partaking in.

Once in the Wu capital, she was given to the Wu Prince who gladly took the beautiful "Trojan Horse" as his own. He was enchanted by her looks, and proud of his new trophy.

Over time, the prince began to neglect his political duties, choosing instead to take carriage rides around the capital city to show off Xi Shi. He would even tell the crowd that if they wanted to see Xi Shi, they would have to throw gold coins into his coffer.

Xi Shi stayed on her mission which was to enchant the prince in such a way that his subjects would become disgusted with him, and his friends would desert him. The ultimate goal was to create political chaos which would allow the King of Yue to invade, and take Wu.

Eventually this came to pass, and the state of Wu was annexed by the King of Yue.

Xi Shi disappeared from public life, and minister Fan Li resigned his post, became a successful trader. Eventually, he was rejoined by his beloved, and lived out his like with the beautiful Xi Shi in obscurity.

Xi Shi is seen as a woman-hero of ancient China, and not a villain that caused the downfall of a Kingdom.

She was certainly an empowered woman, but perhaps not in exactly in the way that we imagine that women become empowered in our modern world.

About the Art...

This is a very detailed painting that is mounted to a silk wall scroll. You will especially see detail in the beauty's face. A lot of work went into this. It actually takes the artist a full day to complete.

You won't be disappointed if you become the owner of this work of art. I guarantee it personally or your money back.

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How I found this art...

Visiting an old friend and artist in Chengdu, I notice a woman is politely waiting for me.   Soon enough, I finish my business, and leave my friend to work on some art that I would pick up several days later.  The polite woman greets me as I walk out.  She quietly asks if I would just take a look at her artwork.

I walk over to her little booth and take a look.  The work is good, and I am surprised that she doesn't have a studio-gallery like a lot of artists.  She says that she likes to sell in the market, and put paintings in the hands of "the common man".  It is then that I realize we have a similar philosophy.

I look through her whole collection, and pick out several pieces that I like.  Her husband shows up, and I find out that he too is an artist.

I end up staying a few extra days with these two artists as they create a couple of custom paintings for me.  The quality of their work is wonderful and I'm so glad I didn't miss the chance to meet them.

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About the artist:

The artist's name is Liu Da-Lu.  She lives with her husband and young daughter near Chengdu, in the Sichuan province of China.  As if fitting the stereotype, her husband loves to paint dragons and warriors, but she paints beautiful women, flowers, landscapes, and animals.

They both live the simple life of artists.  Both of them have the attitude that the art itself is more important than money. The honor of knowing that their work will now be on the walls of homes throughout the world is the thing they feel strongest about.