Chinese Female Warrior Mu Guiying
Woman General of The House of Yang
Fine Art Giclee Print Reproduction
Please note that the true story of Mu Guiying has several variations. It has been retold many times and is featured in a famous Peking Opera. The following is my short version of the story which I believe is historically correct.
Some Background
The Song Dynasty Army was in a tight battle with the forces of a nomad militia commanded by Great Liao from China's northern borders. The Great Liao sought the advice of a famous military tactician, Lu Zhong who devised an invincible battle formation known as "Tianmen Zhen" or "The Heavenly Gate". This formation involved 72
sections and was believed to be invincible.
The Great Liao dared the Song army to defeat the formation within 100 days. Otherwise, they had to surrender their recently unified motherland to the Great Liao.
The whole Song Army was commanded by generals who all belonged to the House of Yang. Each member of the House of Yang fought with great vigor against the invading forces.
Sadly, they were sabotaged by a faction in the Song Court and distrusted by the Song Emperor.
Eventually, the Song Army headed by the House of Yang was defeated by the Great Liao. There were great losses including five of the eight generals of Yang (all brothers).
Of the three surviving generals, one was captured by the forces of Great Liao, and became the son-in-law of Liao (more common than you might imagine - as captured officers of high rank often joined the army of their captors as an honorable gesture and to save face after defeat).
Another general quit and went on a pilgrimage and eventually became a monk.
Yang Yanzhao was the only remaining brother, and therefore became the commanding general. The positions of the lost generals were now taken by all the women of the family.
These new generals included Yang Yanzhao's mother, wife, two sisters, and three of his brothers' widows. They are known in China as, "The Women Generals of Yang".
Mu Guiying's Story
General Yang Yanzhao's teenage son, Yang Zongbao was sent on a mission to seek out the daughter of a military tactician who was rumored to have the secret to breaking the Heavenly Gate formation.
The girl that he was sent to find was none other than a 19-year-old girl named Mu Guiying.
Yang Zongbao came across a few women in a forest, not realizing that one of them was the woman he sought.
The women toyed with him, and Mu Guiying finally revealed her identity but refused to give up the secret of defeating the Heavenly Gate unless he could beat her in a series of fighting duels. The penalty for losing would be that he would have to marry her.
What the young Yang Yanzhao did not realize was that in this rather chivalrous period in China, Mu Guiying was not only a cunning warrior but was choosing her own husband.
He lost all three duels, secretly married Mu Guiying, and returned, empty-handed, and a day late.
Upon his return, his father was furious with his son and ordered his execution for being tardy and not fulfilling his orders.
Mu Guiying heard about the execution order and came to General Yang Yanzhao's headquarters to plead for her new husband's life.
Of course, General Yang Yanzhao knew about the secret wedding, and his plan was to draw out Mu Guiying, and never actually execute his son.
The General demanded that Mu Guiying give him the secret to defeating the Heavenly Gate. Through some negotiation, she agreed and took charge of the army.
Rather than fight in a decisive battle, she sent forces to the flank to burn and destroy the food and supplies of the forces. Since no force can maintain a protracted battle without supplies, they would need to depend on strong supply lines from a base. Mu Gui-Yang knew this, and sent forces to simultaneously attack the base city of the Liao army, and cut off the supply line.
The forces of Great Liao now starving, and without any way to replenish arrows, and other weapons on the battlefield, were soundly defeated.
After defeating Great Liao, the Song Emperor bestowed the official title of General upon Mu Guiying and threw a proper and royal wedding for Mu Guiying and Yang Zongbao.
in China, she is as famous, or perhaps more famous than Hua Mulan (who is only known in the western world for the Mulan Disney movie).
Legend has it that she remained a Commanding General in the Song Army well into her 80's
She was a tough yet feminine woman throughout her life. One legend has it that she led the army in battle while pregnant, and gave birth to her son, Yang Wenguang on the battlefield.
About the Art
This is printed on handmade/hand-pressed Orange "Unryu Kozo" paper with many kozo (mulberry) fibers pressed into the content (you will see lots of thick fibers pressed into this paper).
This print was then taken to my mounting shop in Beijing where a hand-made silk wall scroll was created.
This wall scroll then flew with me from China to the USA and is now located at my San Diego, California gallery, ready to be shipped to you.
I paid a license fee to the artist for permission to produce this print. A hand-painted version would be priced at about $300.
About My Giclée Prints
This is more than a business for me — it’s a passion. I create fine art prints because I love the process of pairing sacred and historic designs with the perfect paper and printing technique. I experiment until everything feels just right. For me, quality will always matter more than profit. (In fact, there’s a fine art print shop down the street charging twice as much as I do — so maybe I’m doing it wrong, but you get to benefit from my folly!)
Dedication to Quality
It took years — and a few costly missteps — to find the right printer. My first one worked well with delicate handmade papers, but the dye inks faded too quickly. My second was a massive HP DesignJet that constantly jammed on the specialty papers I love. After thousands of dollars lost, I finally invested in the Canon imagePROGRAF PRO Series — and it was worth every penny.
This remarkable printer has over 18,000 nozzles and can fire more than 32 million ink droplets per second. Combined with 12-color Canon Lucia Pro pigment inks, it produces an incredibly wide color gamut, velvety gradients, and museum-quality precision that ordinary printers simply can’t achieve.
Archival Excellence
I print exclusively with authentic Canon Lucia Pro pigment inks, which are both archival and UV-resistant. Independent tests rate them at 95+ years without noticeable fading — meaning your print will last a lifetime if properly cared for. Of course, like any fine art, it’s best to keep it out of direct sunlight.
Want a customized wall scroll or custom-sized print? Just contact me!
I can print this larger, on the paper texture of your choice, and give you whatever silk brocade colors you want. Ready-to-frame prints can be delivered in a few days. However, it does take several weeks for custom wall scrolls. Either way, it's worth the wait if you want something really custom and unique.
