Li Xiu (291–?),

courtesy name A courtesy name ( zh, s=字, p=zì, l=character), also known as a style name, is an additional name bestowed upon individuals at adulthood, complementing their given name. This tradition is prevalent in the East Asian cultural sphere, particula ...

Shuxian, was a Chinese military commander during the

Jin dynasty (266–420) The Jin dynasty or Jin Empire, sometimes distinguished as the or the , was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty in China that existed from 266 to 420. It was founded by Emperor Wu of Jin, Sima Yan, eldest son of Sima Zhao, who had previou ...

. She is most known for leading the defence of Ning province (寧州; present-day

Yunnan Yunnan; is an inland Provinces of China, province in Southwestern China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 47.2 million (as of 2020). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the Chinese provinces ...

and

Guizhou ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = , image_map = Guizhou in China (+all claims hatched).svg , mapsize = 275px , map_alt = Map showing the location of Guizhou Province , map_caption = Map s ...

) against rebelling barbarian tribes for three years between 305 and 307. After her death, she became a popular

deity A deity or god is a supernatural being considered to be sacred and worthy of worship due to having authority over some aspect of the universe and/or life. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines ''deity'' as a God (male deity), god or god ...

among the people of Yunnan and was even honored by the emperors of the Sui and Tang dynasties.

Life

Family and background

Li Xiu was born in Qi County (郪縣), Guanghan Commandery (廣漢郡; present-day

Santai County Santai County ( zh, t=三台縣, s=三台县, w=San1-t῾ai2 Hsien4, p=Sāntái Xiàn; Sichuanese romanization: ''San-t῾ai Shien''; formerly known as Tungchwanfu, Sichuanese romanization: Tongchuanfu) is a county under the administration of the ...

Sichuan Sichuan is a province in Southwestern China, occupying the Sichuan Basin and Tibetan Plateau—between the Jinsha River to the west, the Daba Mountains to the north, and the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau to the south. Its capital city is Cheng ...

) as the daughter of Li Yi (李毅) and sister of Li Zhao (李钊), both of whom were officials of the Western Jin dynasty. Her great-grandfather was Li Chao (李朝), celebrated as one of the "Three Dragons" of the Li clan, and she was married to Wang Zai (王载), who was also a Jin official.

Defense of Ning province

In 302, Li Yi, as Colonel of the Southern

Man A man is an adult male human. Before adulthood, a male child or adolescent is referred to as a boy. Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chromosome from the f ...

, quelled a revolt in

Yi Province Yizhou (益州), Yi Province or Yi Prefecture, was a ''Zhou (country subdivision), zhou'' (province) of ancient China. Its capital city was Chengdu.de Crespigny, p. 256. During the Han dynasty, it included the commanderies Hanzhong Commandery, Han ...

that was enticed by the

Ba-Di The Di (; <

Eastern Han Chinese

*''tei'' <

Li Te Li Te (李特, 240s - March 303), courtesy name Xuanxiu (玄休), posthumously King Jing of Chengdu (成都景王) and later Emperor Jing (景皇帝), was the spiritual founder of the Ba-Di-led Cheng-Han dynasty during the Sixteen Kingdoms perio ...

, after which he was appointed as the provincial Inspector of the newly-established Ning province. One of the revolt's instigators, Li Rui (李叡) managed to escape to the Wuling tribes (五苓夷), and in 303, the leader of the tribes, Yulingcheng (于陵丞) requested Li Yi that he pardon Li Rui. Li Yi pretended to agree, and when Li Rui arrived to receive his pardon, he had him killed instead. Yulingcheng was furious and led his tribes to attack Li Yi. In the coming years, Ning was struck by a series of natural disasters that led to consecutive years of poor harvests, followed by the outbreak of an epidemic, killing a significant portion of the population. The Jin military in Ning suffered repeated defeats to the Wuling tribes, and many officials and civilians fled to

Jiao province Jiaozhou (; Wade–Giles: Chiao1-Cho1; ) was an imperial Chinese province under the Han and Jin dynasties. Under the Han, the area included Liangguang and northern Vietnam but Guangdong was later separated to form the province of Guangzhou b ...

. As the tribes laid siege on the cities, Li Yi, who was seriously ill, could not lead the defense, and all routes for seeking external assistance were cut off. Despite sending an urgent plea to the imperial court, it took a few years before the court sent his son, Li Zhao from

Luoyang Luoyang ( zh, s=洛阳, t=洛陽, p=Luòyáng) is a city located in the confluence area of the Luo River and the Yellow River in the west of Henan province, China. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zheng ...

to reinforce him, but by the time he arrived, Li Yi had already succumbed to his illness. Li Xiu, who at the time was only 15 years old, was known for her intelligence and for possessing her father's qualities, so she was elected by the people of Ning as their leader after Li Yi's death. During her tenure, she would reward her warriors and withdraw into a city to mount a fierce defence. As the food supply in the city dwindled, her followers survived by eating rats and weeds. Li Xiu would wait for the tribes to grow complacent, and when they did, she would order her troops to sally out and rout the enemies. She also built a city in present-day

Jinning Jinning District () is one of seven districts of the prefecture-level city of Kunming, the capital of Yunnan Province, Southwest China. The formation of the district was approved on November 24, 2016, after the dissolution of the former ''Jinni ...

, which was given the name Tiannücheng (天女城; "Citadel of the Heavenly Lady") by later generations. Li Xiu and her people held out for three years before Li Zhao arrived in 307. She is no longer mentioned in official history from this point on, as she seemingly relinquished her position to her brother who was entrusted by the people of Ning to handle affairs in the province. After a few more years, the rebellion was eventually quelled by the new Inspector of Ning, Wang Xun. Both Li Zhao and Wang Zai later fought against the

Cheng-Han Cheng-Han (; 303 or 304 – 347) was a dynastic state of China listed as one of the Sixteen Kingdoms in Chinese historiography. Ruled by the Li clan of the Ba-Di people, its territory was based in what is modern-day Sichuan Province, China. The ...

dynasty as they encroached on Ning, but surrendered in 323 and were given offices under the new regime.

''Zhonglie Ciji''

The ''Zhonglie Ciji'' (忠烈祠記; ''Inscription of the Martyr''), a 14th-century

Yuan dynasty The Yuan dynasty ( ; zh, c=元朝, p=Yuáncháo), officially the Great Yuan (; Mongolian language, Mongolian: , , literally 'Great Yuan State'), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after Div ...

stele dedicated to Li Xiu, provides an apocryphal account of her life during and after her exploits in Ning province. The inscription asserts that Li Xiu personally donned armour and led the attack against the barbarians, even fully ascribing the rebellion's defeat to her. For her achievements, she was appointed the Inspector of Ning and Colonel of the Southern Man. She inherited her father's command over 37 tribes and served for more than 30 years, during which she kept the tribes in check, put the people at ease and maintained peace in the province. When she died in office, the people of Ning mourned as if they had lost a parent, and temples were built for her where they offer annual sacrifices.

Legacy

The people of Ning revered Li Xiu as a divine figure and prayed to her for centuries after her death. Her popularity in Yunnan became known to Emperor Wen of the

Sui dynasty The Sui dynasty ( ) was a short-lived Dynasties of China, Chinese imperial dynasty that ruled from 581 to 618. The re-unification of China proper under the Sui brought the Northern and Southern dynasties era to a close, ending a prolonged peri ...

, who posthumously honored her as "Lady of Tranquil Pacification" (镇靖夫人). When the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...

was first established in 618, the Inspector of Ning, Cuan Hongda (爨弘逵) was besieged by barbarians in his city. He went to a shrine of Li Xiu to pray for divine protection, and that night, a violent storm arose, which Cuan Hongda saw as a perfect opportunity. He launched a surprise attack and annihilated the besieging forces. He credited this victory to the spirit of Li Xiu, and Emperor Gaozu subsequently honored her with the title "Lady of Tranquil Pacification and Brilliant Wisdom." (镇靖明惠夫人). Under

Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Emperor Xuanzong of Tang (; 8 September 685 – 3 May 762), personal name Li Longji, was an Emperor of China, emperor of the Tang dynasty of China, reigning from 712 to 756. His reign of 44 years was the longest during the Tang dynasty. Throu ...

, her title was changed to "Lady of Loyal and Brilliant Wisdom" (忠烈明惠夫人) and her temple was given the name "Temple of the Martyr" (忠烈廟). Her temple in Yunnan was the largest of its kind, built to the highest architectural standards. In 1331, during the

, her temple was renovated, and the ''Zhonglie Ciji'' inscription was added to a stone tablet in front of the temple by Jia Ben (賈賁). The 17th-century

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...

travel writer The genre of travel literature or travelogue encompasses outdoor literature, guide books, nature writing, and travel memoirs. History Early examples of travel literature include the '' Periplus of the Erythraean Sea'' (generally considered ...

Xu Xiake Xu Xiake (, January 5, 1587 – March 8, 1641), born Xu Hongzu (), courtesy name Zhenzhi (), was a Chinese explorer, geographer, and travel writer of the Ming dynasty, known best for his famous geographical treatise, and noted for his bravery ...

once visited the temple, but pointed out that the inscription wrongly stated that the temple was dedicated to a woman named Yang Niang (楊娘), when it should be Li Xiu.(戊寅年十月……初八日，飲後，與黃沂水出西門。稍北，過楊城堡，即所謂古土城也，其西北為明惠夫人廟，祀晉寧州刺史李毅女夫人，功見《一統志》，有元碑，首句雲：'夫人姓楊氏，名娘，李毅之女也。 '既曰李女，又曰姓楊，何謬之甚耶！) ''Xu Xiake Youji'', vol.7

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Li, Xiu 291 births Jin dynasty (266–420) generals Women in ancient Chinese warfare Women in 4th-century warfare Year of death unknown Women in war in China Chinese female generals Chinese generals 4th-century Chinese women 4th-century Chinese people 3rd-century Chinese women 3rd-century Chinese people