The Two Qiaos of Jiangdong () were two sisters of the Qiao family who lived during the late

Eastern Han dynasty The Han dynasty was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC ...

of China. In the novel ''

Romance of the Three Kingdoms ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'' () is a 14th-century historical novel attributed to Luo Guanzhong. It is set in the turbulent years towards the end of the Han dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period in Chinese history, starting in 184 AD and ...

'', the two Qiaos were sisters of exceptional beauty who were the pivot to the Battle of Chibi, one of the most impactful battles of the pre-

Three Kingdoms period The Three Kingdoms of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu dominated China from AD 220 to 280 following the end of the Han dynasty. This period was preceded by the Eastern Han dynasty and followed by the Western Jin dynasty. Academically, the ...

Cao Cao Cao Cao (; ; ; 15 March 220), courtesy name Mengde, was a Chinese statesman, warlord, and poet who rose to power during the end of the Han dynasty (), ultimately taking effective control of the Han central government. He laid the foundation f ...

, Chancellor of the Eastern Han dynasty, was depicted in the novel to be interested in having the two sisters, to the point that his intentions were evident in his son's poem "Ode to the Bronze Sparrow Platform" (銅雀臺賦); consequently leading

Zhou Yu Zhou Yu (, ) (175–210), courtesy name Gongjin (), was a Chinese military general and strategist serving under the warlord Sun Ce in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. After Sun Ce died in the year 200, he continued serving under Sun Qua ...

of Jiangdong to go to war with Cao Cao.

In historical records

The Qiao sisters' names were not recorded in history, so in later times they are simply referred to as Da Qiao (literally "older Qiao") and Xiao Qiao (literally "younger Qiao"). They were from Wan County (皖縣), Lujiang Commandery (廬江郡), which is in present-day

Anqing Anqing ( zh, s=, t=安慶, p=Ānqìng, l=, also Yicheng, Nganking and formerly Hwaining, now the name of Huaining County) is a prefecture-level city in the southwest of Anhui province of China, province, China, People's Republic of China. Its popu ...

Anhui Anhui is an inland Provinces of China, province located in East China. Its provincial capital and largest city is Hefei. The province is located across the basins of the Yangtze and Huai rivers, bordering Jiangsu and Zhejiang to the east, Jiang ...

. Da Qiao married the warlord

Sun Ce Sun Ce () () (175 – 5 May 200), courtesy name Bofu, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He was the eldest child of Sun Jian, who was killed during the Battle of Xian ...

, who established the foundation of the state of

Eastern Wu Wu (Chinese language, Chinese: 吳; pinyin: ''Wú''; Middle Chinese *''ŋuo'' < Eastern Han Chinese: ''*ŋuɑ''), known in historiography as Eastern Wu or Sun Wu, was a Dynasties of China, dynastic state of China and one of the three major sta ...

during the

Three Kingdoms The Three Kingdoms of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu dominated China from AD 220 to 280 following the end of the Han dynasty. This period was preceded by the Eastern Han dynasty and followed by the Jin dynasty (266–420), Western Jin dyna ...

period. Xiao Qiao married

, a general who served under Sun Ce and later, under his successor,

Sun Quan Sun Quan (; 182 – 21 May 252), courtesy name Zhongmou (), posthumous name, posthumously known as Emperor Da of Wu, was the founder of Eastern Wu, one of the Three Kingdoms of China. He inherited control of the warlord regime established by hi ...

.(頃之，策欲取荊州，以瑜為中護軍，領江夏太守，從攻皖，拔之。時得橋公兩女，皆國色也。策自納大橋，瑜納小橋。) ''Sanguozhi'' vol. 54. Sun Ce jokingly told Zhou Yu: "Although Elder Qiao's daughters are exceptionally beautiful, with us as their husbands, it should be a happy enough match." Zhou Yu had two sons and a daughter, Zhou Xun, Zhou Yin and Zhou Fei (Lady Zhou). It is unknown if his three children were born to Xiao Qiao.

In ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms''

The Qiao sisters are featured as characters in the 14th-century historical novel, ''

'', which romanticises the historical events before and during the

period. In the novel, the Chinese character for "Qiao" in their names, 橋/桥, is replaced with 喬/乔. In the novel, the Qiao sisters are the daughters of a certain ''Qiao Guolao'' (喬國老; literally "State Elder Qiao"), possibly referring to

Qiao Xuan Qiao Xuan (110 – 6 June 184), courtesy name Gongzu, was an influential official during the Eastern Han dynasty of China. Born in a scholarly family, he began his career as a local county officer and eventually gained fame for his sense of ...

's biography in the third-century historical text, ''

Records of the Three Kingdoms The ''Records of the Three Kingdoms'' is a Chinese official history written by Chen Shou in the late 3rd century CE, covering the end of the Han dynasty (220 CE) and the subsequent Three Kingdoms period (220–280 CE). It is regard ...

,'' did not mention the name of the Qiao sisters' father, who was simply referred to as ''Qiao Gong'' (橋公; literally "Elder Qiao" or "Lord Qiao"). Historically, Qiao Xuan died in 184, while the Qiao sisters married Sun Ce and Zhou Yu around 199, so it was not possible that Qiao Xuan was still living when the marriages took place. Therefore, it is highly unlikely that Qiao Xuan was the "Qiao Gong" mentioned in Zhou Yu's biography. In Chapter 44 of the novel,

Zhuge Liang Zhuge Liang () (181September or October 234), also commonly known by his courtesy name Kongming, was a Chinese statesman, strategist, and inventor who lived through the End of the Han dynasty, end of the Eastern Han dynasty ( 184–220) and t ...

tells

that

's desire to have the Two Qiaos for himself is evident in "Ode to the Bronze Sparrow Platform" (銅雀臺賦), a historical poem written by Cao Cao's son,

Cao Zhi Cao Zhi (; ; 192 – 27 December 232), courtesy name Zijian (), posthumously known as Prince Si of Chen (陈思王), was a prince of the state of Cao Wei in the Three Kingdoms period of China, and an accomplished poet in his time. His style o ...

. Zhuge Liang recites an altered version of the poem with added verses: An enraged Zhou Yu then hardens his decision to convince

to ally with

Liu Bei Liu Bei (, ; ; 161 – 10 June 223), courtesy name Xuande (), was a China, Chinese warlord in the late Han dynasty#Eastern Han, Eastern Han dynasty who later became the founding Emperor of China, emperor of Shu Han, one of the Three Kingdoms of ...

against Cao Cao, then prevailing over the latter in the Battle of Chibi. Historically, the battle predates the terrace by two years, and Cao Zhi's poem was written two years after Zhou Yu's death. Nonetheless, the story of the Bronze Bird Terrace and the Qiao sisters in the popular tradition aroused people's imagination for generations.

In Chinese opera

The 1960 opera ''Fenghuang Er Qiao'' (鳳凰二喬) addresses Xiao Qiao as "Qiao Jing" (喬靚) and Da Qiao as "Qiao Wan" (喬婉), and depicts both as skilled in martial arts. Sun Ce, the protagonist of this opera, borrows 3,000 troops from

Yuan Shu Yuan Shu () (155 – 199), courtesy name Gonglu, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty. He rose to prominence following the collapse of the Han central government in 189. He decla ...

and allies with the Qiao army, which is led by the Two Qiaos. The Qiao's father starts a competition for Zhou Yu and Sun Ce to prove they are worthy of marrying them, where the Qiao sisters engage in battles with their future husbands. Sun Ce eventually gains Da Qiao's hand in marriage through a martial arts contest with the help of Zhou Yu and Xiao Qiao.

In popular culture

Film and television

Taiwanese supermodel Lin Chi-ling starred as Xiao Qiao in the 2008 Chinese epic war film, '' Red Cliff,'' directed by John Woo. In the film, it is surmised that Cao Cao's infatuation with Xiao Qiao is the reason why he invaded Sun Quan's lands and initiated the battle. Chinese actress Huang Yi portrayed Xiao Qiao in '' Just Another Pandora's Box'', a spoof of ''Red Cliff''. Cai Hancen and Tsai Yi-chen portrayed Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao, respectively, in the 2009 Taiwanese television series, '' K.O.3an Guo'', a spoof of ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'' in a modern high school setting. Chinese actresses Liu Jing and Zhao Ke portrayed Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao, respectively, in the 2010 Chinese television series, ''

''.

Games

The Qiao sisters are featured as playable characters in Koei's '' Dynasty Warriors'' and ''

Warriors Orochi is a hack and slash video game for PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the Xbox (console), original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox se ...

'' video game series. The anime '' Koihime Musō'' and '' Ikki Tousen'' make references to Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao as well, in which they are known by their respective names in Japanese – Daikyō and Shōkyō. The Two Qiaos are featured in Sega's '' Total War: Three Kingdoms'' after 19 March 2020, when the developer Creative Assembly released a DLC under the title of ''A World Betrayed'', which gives the Two Qiao official portraits and 3D models with unique abilities. They are also featured in the game '' Honour of Kings'' which is a Chinese game alongside Liu Bei. The Qiaos are featured as "gods" in the Japanese mobile game '' Puzzle & Dragons'', as part of the Three Kingdoms God series.

References

* * Chen, Shou (3rd century). ''

'' (''Sanguozhi''). * Fan, Ye (5th century). ''

Book of the Later Han The ''Book of the Later Han'', also known as the ''History of the Later Han'' and by its Chinese name ''Hou Hanshu'' (), is one of the Twenty-Four Histories and covers the history of the Han dynasty from 6 to 189 CE, a period known as the Lat ...

'' (''Houhanshu''). * Luo, Guanzhong (14th century). ''

'' (''Sanguo Yanyi''). * Pei, Songzhi (5th century). ''

Annotations to Records of the Three Kingdoms ''Annotated Records of the Three Kingdoms'' () by Pei Songzhi (372–451) is an annotation completed in the 5th century of the 3rd century historical text ''Records of the Three Kingdoms'', compiled by Chen Shou. After the fall of the Eastern Jin ...

'' (''Sanguozhi zhu''). * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Qiaos, Two 2nd-century births Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown People during the end of the Han dynasty Sister duos 2nd-century Chinese women