Wa Shi (lady)

The lady Wa Shi ( Chinese  瓦 氏 夫人 , Pinyin Wǎ Shì Fūrén ; * 1496 ; † 1555 ) was a noble Zhuang . In calligraphic representations and in period films she is shown as a good rider and energetic warrior. Her family name was Cen (岑) ， she came from Zhí lì zhōu (直隶 州) ， an administrative district of the Ming period . She was very talented, followed her father in the line of succession and developed into an excellent warrior. When she grew up, she married the tribal prince Cen Meng (岑 猛, cen měng), a Tusi, according to the custom of the Zhuang people . Already during the reign of Jiā jìng under Emperor Shizong , she participated in government tasks in Tian zhou (田 州). She made significant contributions in the areas of administration, construction, education, popular assemblies and the military. In 1553 (嘉靖 三十 四年), Wokou (倭寇, Chinese pirates ) advanced on the south-east coast of China. Washi commanded a force from Suzhou, under the command of General Yu Dayou (俞大猷). As the wife of the governor of Tianzhou , she commanded 7,500 soldiers, even though she was in her fifties. Some of their sons and grandchildren fell victim to the war. Wa Shi's troops fought a great battle with the pirates on Jin shan wei (金山 卫) ， 4000 were killed. In Wang jiang jing (王 江 泾, now Jiaxing , Zhejiang), she allied herself with Tu bing , a subjugated pirate leader, and achieved a great victory. For this reason she was ennobled by Emperor Jiajing with the title Er pin fu ren (二 品 夫人).

The intrigue of Yan Song (Intr) against General Zhang Jing (张 经) filled her with grief, and because of her age she returned to her homeland. Shortly afterwards she fell ill and died at the age of 58。

Others

Her grave (瓦 氏 夫人 墓) is shown in Guang Xi.