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 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 ...

. 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約，行� ...

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 his nickname, the Thunder King, was a Chinese Late Ming peasant rebellions, peasant rebel leader who helped overthrow the Ming dynasty in April 1644 and ruled over northe ...

and his rebel army was entering the palace. Even though the Chongzhen Emperor loved his family, he had to kill them when the capital fell to the rebels because the emperor's plan failed, because he was afraid that after his death, his children's fate would be the same as it was during the Song dynasty's fall: 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), also known by his temple name Emperor Shizu of Qing, personal name Fulin, was the second Emperor of China, emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the first Qing emperor to rule over China pro ...

of the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

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

Buddhist nun Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or 5th century BCE. It is the world's fourth ...

. The emperor refused and arranged for her to marry Zhou Xian. Changping got pregnant from this marriage, while 16 or 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. The popular Cantonese opera '' The Flower Princess'' () features her and her beloved husband as its protagonists. Based on its first script and other publications, the first adaption debuted in 1957 at the Lee Theatre. The opera was the basis for two film adaptations, ''Tragedy of the Emperor's Daughter'' (1959) directed by

Wong Tin-lam Wong Tin-Lam (1927–2010) was a Chinese screenwriter, producer, director, and actor, who has contributed to the Hong Kong cinema scene with a career spanning six decades. He has made films in Cantonese, Mandarin and Amoy dialect. Career Wong ...

and '' Princess Chang Ping'' (1976) directed by

John Woo John Woo Yu-sen ( zh, t= ; born 22 September 1946) is a Hongkongers, Hong Kong film director known as a highly influential figure in the action film genre. The recipient of various accolades, including a Hong Kong Film Awards, Hong Kong Film Award ...

. 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 Chinese royalty and nobility with disabilities Daughters of emperors People from Beijing

Biography

In popular culture

See also

References