Wang Cuiqiao (王翠翘) was a

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 ...

during the

Jiajing The Jiajing Emperor (16September 150723January 1567), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Shizong of Ming, personal name Zhu Houcong, art names Yaozhai, Leixuan, and Tianchi Diaosou, was the 12th emperor of the Ming dynasty, reigning ...

period 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 ...

, and a native of

Zibo Zibo () is a prefecture-level city in central Shandong province of China, province, China. It borders the provincial capital Jinan to the west, Tai'an to the southwest, Linyi to the south, Weifang to the east, Dongying to the northeast, and Bi ...

Shandong Shandong is a coastal Provinces of China, province in East China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River. It has served as a pivotal cultural ...

. Her story appears in the literature of the Ming and

Qing 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 ...

dynasties.

Early life

Wang Cuiqiao was from Linzi, Shandong, from a poor family. She was sold to Ma's family, a courtesan family. Wang Cuiqiao changed her name to Ma Qiao'er (马翘儿). She learned the skills of singing, playing the flute and ''

pipa The pipa, pípá, or p'i-p'a () is a traditional Chinese musical instrument belonging to the plucked category of instruments. Sometimes called the "Chinese lute", the instrument has a pear-shaped wooden body with a varying number of frets rangi ...

'', and became a courtesan. Her adoptive mother brought her to Jiangnan to perform, and she was popular singing Wushe songs. She sang with clear enunciation, a crisp voice, and played musical instruments, attracting many audiences. Wang displayed a calm personality and was not interested in prostitution. She did not approach rich people who were wealthy but uneducated. Her adoptive mother often scolded and beat her for this. She used her personal savings to regain her free status. Later, she changed her name from Ma Qiao'er to Wang Cuiqiao and went to

Suzhou Suzhou is a major prefecture-level city in southern Jiangsu province, China. As part of the Yangtze Delta megalopolis, it is a major economic center and focal point of trade and commerce. Founded in 514 BC, Suzhou rapidly grew in size by the ...

and

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 ...

to perform. Wang and the chivalrous

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 ...

rich man Luo Longwen married. After they were invaded by

Japanese pirates ''Wokou'' ( zh, c=, p=Wōkòu; ; Hepburn: ; ; literal Chinese translation: "dwarf bandits"), which translates to "Japanese pirates", were pirates who raided the coastlines of China and Korea from the 13th century to the 17th century.

, Luo Longwen escaped, but Wang Cuiqiao was captured. She remarried, to pirate leader Xu Hai. Wang Cuiqiao and Xu Hai wandered on the sea. She listened to Hu Zongxian and persuaded Xu Hai to surrender to Hu Zongxian. Xu Hai committed suicide by diving into the water. Wang Cuiqiao was escorted back by officers. In order to reward Peng Yinan for his efforts in quelling the Japanese pirates, and to save face after losing his temper after drinking, Hu Zongxian gave Wang Cuiqiao to Peng Yinan. Wang Cuiqiao was so distraught that she jumped into the

Qiantang River The Qiantang River (), formerly known as the Hangchow River Postal Map Romanization, or Tsientang River, is a rivers of China, river in East China. An important commercial artery, it runs for through Zhejiang, passing through the provincial c ...

and committed suicide.

Literature

The story of Wang Cuiqiao appears in many literary works of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. "Wang Cuiqiao", the sixth of Mao Kun's "Ten Rap Songs and Drum Songs by the Great Sima Hu Gong", record Wang Cuiqiao. From the end of Jiajing to the beginning of Wanli, Ming Dynasty historian Xu Xuemo wrote the first ''Biography of Wang Qiao'er''. Wang Shizhen wrote ''The Continuation of Yan's Different Edition Wang Qiao'er''. Wang Cuiqiao is mentioned in Mei Dingzuo's ''Green Ni Lotus''. Wang Cuiqiao appeared in Feng Menglong's ''Zhitan''. Dai Shilin's ''Li Cuiqiao''. Yu Huai's ''The Biography of Wang Cuiqiao''. Zhou Qingyuan's ''Hu Shaobao's Victory in Pinging the Japanese''. Lu Renlong ''President Hu'' made clever use of Hua Diqing, and Wang Cuiqiao's death was reported to Xu Mingshan. ''The Biography of Jin Yunqiao'' written by Qing Xincairen in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties adapted Wang Cuiqiao's story into a novel. Both the novel '' Jin Yunqiao'' and the poem ''

The Tale of Kieu ''The Tale of Kiều'' is an epic poem in Vietnamese written by Nguyễn Du (1765–1820), well known in Vietnamese literature. The original title in Vietnamese is ''Đoạn Trường Tân Thanh'' (, "A New Cry From a Broken Heart"), but it ...

'' presented Wang Cuiqiao as a prostitute.

References

{{reflist, 30em Ming dynasty people Ming dynasty Gējìs Chinese Gējìs

Early life

Literature

See also

References