Su Xiaoxiao () (c.479 – c.501), also known by the appellations "Little Su" and "Su Xiao," was a

Chinese Chinese may refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China. **'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...

courtesan A courtesan is a prostitute with a courtly, wealthy, or upper-class clientele. Historically, the term referred to a courtier, a person who attended the court of a monarch or other powerful person. History In European feudal society, the co ...

and

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

from Qiantang City (modern-day

Hangzhou Hangzhou, , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ; formerly romanized as Hangchow is a sub-provincial city in East China and the capital of Zhejiang province. With a population of 13 million, the municipality comprises ten districts, two counti ...

Zhejiang Province ) , translit_lang1_type2 = , translit_lang1_info2 = ( Hangzhounese) ( Ningbonese) (Wenzhounese) , image_skyline = 玉甑峰全貌 - panoramio.jpg , image_caption = View of the Yandang Mountains , image_map = Zhejiang i ...

) during the

Southern Qi Dynasty Qi, known in historiography as the Southern Qi ( or ) or Xiao Qi (), was a Chinese imperial dynasty and the second of the four Southern dynasties during the Northern and Southern dynasties era. It followed the Liu Song dynasty and was succeeded ...

Life

Renowned for her intellectual talent and exceptional beauty, Su Xiaoxiao embodied the values of love, beauty, and humanity, which are evident in her writings and the popular stories associated with her. Numerous tales surround her life, though the historical accuracy of any specific story remains uncertain. Su Xiaoxiao was born into a prosperous family in Qiantang. Her ancestors had served as officials during the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Following the fall of the Jin Dynasty, her family settled in Qiantang, using their gold, silver, and jewelry as capital to establish a successful business. As the only daughter of her parents, Su Xiaoxiao was cherished deeply and regarded as the apple of their eye. Her petite stature earned her the name "Xiaoxiao." Although the Su family were merchants, they upheld their ancestral tradition of valuing education and literature. Su Xiaoxiao, being intelligent and keen, was greatly influenced by this heritage and learned to read and compose poetry from a young age. However, her happy childhood was cut short when her parents passed away when she was just 15 years old. Following their deaths, Su Xiaoxiao lived with her aunt in a house near West Lake. Deeply attached to the natural beauty of the region, she led a tranquil life, spending her days exploring the mountains and rivers, composing poetry, and painting. To support herself, Su Xiaoxiao worked as a courtesan, captivating audiences with her singing and forming friendships through her poetry. One spring day, while riding in an oil-walled cart during an outing, she arrived at the Broken Bridge. There, she encountered a young man riding a ''qingcong'' horse (青骢马). Startled by Su Xiaoxiao’s cart, the horse jolted, causing the young man to fall. This man was Ruan Yu, the son of Prime Minister Ruan Dao (阮道). Ruan Yu had been tasked with a mission in eastern Zhejiang and was passing through Hangzhou, taking the opportunity to visit West Lake. The two fell in love at first sight. Ruan Yu (阮郁) soon visited Su Xiaoxiao’s home and confessed his love for her. With the support of Su Xiaoxiao’s aunt, the two were married. Their love for each other was profound and unwavering. After the wedding, Ruan Yu informed his family about the marriage through a letter. When Ruan Dao, Ruan Yu’s father, learned that his son had married a courtesan, he was furious to the point of nearly fainting. However, given the great distance and the lack of convenient transportation, Ruan Dao was unable to immediately intervene. Forced to bide his time, he devised a cunning plan to separate the couple. Pretending to accept the marriage, Ruan Dao wrote a seemingly sincere letter to Ruan Yu, praising Su Xiaoxiao as a talented and exceptional woman. He expressed that, despite her humble status, he had no objections to the union. Upon receiving the letter, Ruan Yu and Su Xiaoxiao were overjoyed, believing that Ruan Dao had genuinely approved of their marriage. They continued their lives together in peace, unaware of his true intentions. After some time, Ruan Dao sent a second letter to his son, falsely claiming that he was gravely ill and bedridden. Concerned for his father’s health, Su Xiaoxiao urged Ruan Yu to return home to care for him. Deeply worried, Ruan Yu traveled day and night to reach his father, only to find Ruan Dao in perfect health. Before Ruan Yu could grasp the situation, his father scolded him harshly and ordered him to be confined to the study. Despite Ruan Yu’s protests and heartfelt pleas, he was unable to resist his father’s will. Ruan Dao ultimately forced him to remarry a woman of higher social standing. Heartbroken and abandoned, Su Xiaoxiao was left to live alone. She spent her days in solitude, finding solace in poetry, wine, and the dim glow of a solitary lamp, as she mourned the loss of her love. After Ruan Yu left, Su Xiaoxiao fell gravely ill. Around this time, Meng Lang (孟浪), the observation envoy from Shangjiang, arrived in Qiantang on official business. Having long admired Su Xiaoxiao’s reputation, he repeatedly sent invitations for her to visit his residence, but she declined each time. Dissatisfied, Meng Lang considered using his authority to have her forcibly brought to him. The county magistrate, who had a friendly relationship with Su Xiaoxiao, secretly advised her to apologize to Meng Lang to avoid deeper conflict with a high-ranking official. Reluctantly, Su Xiaoxiao agreed, recognizing the danger of defying someone in his position. On the appointed day, she visited Meng Lang’s residence dressed in simple, modest attire, appearing pale and frail. Meng Lang was struck by her pitiful yet captivating presence but, being a proud and petty man, decided to test her. In the courtyard, a red plum tree was in full bloom, and Meng Lang ordered Su Xiaoxiao to compose a poem on the theme of the red plum. Without hesitation, Su Xiaoxiao crafted a poem that was neither servile nor defiant. Her words conveyed both her unyielding spirit and a subtle deference to Meng Lang’s authority. Impressed by her intelligence and grace, Meng Lang let the matter drop and chose not to trouble her further. Thus, Su Xiaoxiao’s talent and charm once again turned a potentially dangerous situation into a peaceful resolution. On one occasion, while burning incense at a temple, Su Xiaoxiao encountered Bao Ren (鲍仁), a poor scholar. Moved by his plight, she gave him money to help him travel and prepare for the imperial examination. Bao Ren successfully passed the examination and was later appointed as the governor of Huazhou. Grateful for Su Xiaoxiao's kindness, he made a special trip to Qiantang to express his gratitude. Unfortunately, by the time he arrived, Su Xiaoxiao had already passed away. In accordance with her final wish—"Born in Xiling, died in Xiling, buried in Xiling, worthy of the beautiful landscape"—Bao Ren ensured that she was buried beside the Xiling Bridge, fulfilling her desire to rest eternally in her homeland.

Commemoration

Su Xiaoxiao succumbed to a terminal illness, leaving behind a legacy of beauty and talent with her untimely death. For over a thousand years, her tomb was located near the Xiling Bridge, close to the

West Lake The West Lake (; ) is a freshwater lake in Hangzhou, China. Situated to the west of Hangzhou's former Hangzhou City Walls, walled city, the lake has a surface area of , stretching from north to south and from east to west. In the lake are four ...

she loved. Su Xiaoxiao's life and poetry have inspired many Chinese writers and artists throughout history. She became a romantic heroine for

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 ...

poets such as

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Li He Li He ( – ) was a Chinese poet of the Tang poetry#Middle Tang, mid-Tang dynasty. His courtesy name was Changji, and he is also known as Guicai and Shigui. He was prevented from taking the imperial examination due to a naming taboo. He died ve ...

, and

Wen Tingyun Wen Tingyun (; 812–866) born Wen Qi (), courtesy name Feiqing () was a Chinese poet. He was an important Chinese lyricist of the late Tang dynasty. He was born in modern Qi, Shanxi province, China. Over his literary career, Wen became ...

, as well as

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 ...

writer

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. She was also the central figure in the story ''Romantic Trails of Xilin'' from ''Fine Stories of the West Lake''. A woodcut of unknown origin, inspired by the short story ''Dreaming of Qiantang'', was used to decorate porcelain objects during the

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and early

Qing dynasties 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 ...

. The story recounts how the scholar Sima Yu, while visiting Hangzhou, dreamt of Su Xiaoxiao being brought to his window by three gusts of wind to sing for him. Su Xiaoxiao has also been a popular subject in Chinese theater, where her story has been retold and reimagined in various forms over the centuries. In 1780, during his southern tour of Hangzhou, Emperor Qianlong inquired about Su Xiaoxiao's tomb. Four years later, in 1784, he visited her tomb again during another southern tour. By that time, her tomb had been reconstructed as an octagonal stone structure. Emperor Qianlong’s interest and visits elevated what might have been an ordinary act of commemoration into a ritual with symbolic significance. As a result, Su Xiaoxiao’s tomb near West Lake became firmly embedded in collective memory and cultural heritage. The Qing Dynasty scholar Yuan Mei greatly admired the famous courtesan Su Xiaoxiao and had a seal carved that read, "Qiantang Su Xiaoxiao is a fellow villager." One day, a minister visited Yuan Mei to request a poem. Yuan Mei immediately offered a poetry collection as a gift, accidentally stamping the seal on the booklet. Upon seeing the seal, the minister’s face changed drastically, and he angrily criticized Yuan Mei, believing that by using the seal, Yuan Mei was claiming to be a fellow courtesan. He considered it highly disrespectful and inappropriate. At first, Yuan Mei apologized repeatedly, but the minister remained unforgiving. Yuan Mei then retorted firmly, "Do you think this private seal is inappropriate? From your perspective, you are a high-ranking official, and Su Xiaoxiao's status was much humbler. However, I fear that a hundred years from now, people will only remember Su Xiaoxiao, but not you." The minister was enraged by this response, but the audience burst into laughter. Su Xiaoxiao's tomb was destroyed during the

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a Social movement, sociopolitical movement in the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). It was launched by Mao Zedong in 1966 and lasted until his de ...

, but it was rebuilt in 2004, with a new pavilion featuring twelve poetry posts, each handwritten by famous calligraphers. The current tomb is empty. Today, Su Xiaoxiao's tomb is a popular tourist attraction in Hangzhou. The pavilion under which the tomb is housed is called Mucaiting. However, the name can be phonetically misread as "Mocaiting" (meaning "touch for wealth"), so many tourists pass by and purposefully touch or throw coins onto the tomb, hoping for wealth and prosperity.

Poem by Su Xiaoxiao

This poem is known by various titles, including "Song of the West Tomb," "Song of Xiling Lake," "Song of Su Xiaoxiao" (in a collection of

Music Bureau The Music Bureau (Traditional Chinese character, Traditional Chinese: 樂府; Simplified Chinese character, Simplified Chinese: 乐府; Pinyin, Hanyu Pinyin: ''yuèfǔ'', and sometimes known as the "Imperial Music Bureau") served in the capacity o ...

poems), and "Song of the Same Heartbeat." It became widely recognized and inspired many future poets, including those mentioned above. The original text is a quatrain, composed of four lines, each containing five words. :, :, :, :。 :''I ride in a decorated carriage,'' :''My darling rides a blue-white horse.'' :''Where should we tie the knot for our heart?'' :''Under the Xiling pine and cypress.''

In media

In 1962, Chinese director Lee Sun-fung directed a film about Su Xiaoxiao, titled ''Su Xiaoxiao'' (also known as Miss Su in some regions). Malaysian-born actress Yan Pak played the title role. A poem dedicated to Su Xiaoxiao, titled ''A Su Xiaoxiao'', was written by Italian author Sabrina Gatti and appears in the collection ''La pioggia sui vetri'' (2011).

References

Sources

* * * Melangzhi : 西湖佳话 (''Fine Stories of West Lake'') /I * * Zhang Dai: 西湖梦寻(''Search The West Lake in Dreams'')

External links

Tomb of Su Xiaoxiao, a poem by Li He
{{DEFAULTSORT:Su, Xiaoxiao 5th-century births 500s deaths Chinese women poets Southern Qi poets Chinese Gējìs 5th-century Chinese poets Writers from Hangzhou Poets from Zhejiang 5th-century Chinese women writers 5th-century musicians Northern and Southern dynasties musicians