Xian (lady)

The Lady Xian (Hsien, Chinese  冼夫人 , Pinyin Xiăn fū rén ; * 512 ; † 602 ), also Lady of Qiaoguo (Ch'iao Kuo; Chinese  譙 國 夫人 , Pinyin Qiáo guó fū rén , temple name: Chinese  诚敬 夫人 , Pinyin Chéng jìng fū rén ), was a noblewoman from the Li people . She was the daughter of the king of the Xian tribe (Hsien) in southern China, now Guangdong , during the Sui dynasty . The locals call her the "Holy Mother of Lingnan " ( Chinese  岭南 圣母 , Pinyin ling nan sheng mu ). She died while traveling in Hainan . Premier Zhou Enlai called her "China's first heroine" and President Jiang Zemin extolled her as "a role model that future generations should learn forever".

Life

Lady Xian was born into a ruling family in 512. She was a capable leader who successfully defended her tribe from enemies. This earned her the title of Lady of Qiaoguo (Ch'iao Kuo fu ren). Within her tribe, she always tried to put an end to the frequent feuds. Her brother Xian T'ing , the prefect (刺史 - cì shĭ) of Nanliang Province (南 梁州 - nán liáng zhōu), often invaded the surrounding areas out of greed. The Lady Xian, however, was able to keep him from doing wrong most of the time and so the situation gradually calmed down. Thousands from the Daner district (儋 耳 郡 - dān ěr jùn) of Hainan then joined her. In 535 she married Feng Pao , a Chinese general, and promoted the spread of Chinese customs among her people. She also supported Feng Pao in state affairs. In doing so, she was impartial and incorruptible, which in turn strengthened Chinese rule in the area. As a woman, her manners shocked many moralists in her day. She also impressed the Emperor of the Chen Dynasty , who honored her several times and gave her the title of "Lady of Qiaoguo". She died of old age in 602 and was honored with the posthumous title of Lady Chengjing (诚敬 夫人 - cheng jing fu ren).

Cultural Achievements

During the time of the Southern and Northern Dynasties , the outskirts of the respective dynasties were very uncertain. The slave trade was particularly widespread among the Li people . According to Wang Sengru's biography in Liang's book (《梁 书 • 王 僧孺 传》), “ Jun Chang was Nanhai Prefecture. Every year many boats came from overseas because many people were sold in Gaoliang. These foreign traders sold their wares for people. At the time, traders were making a lot of money in this trade, and the officials considered it normal and did not intervene. ”When Lady Xian went there, she encouraged the introduction of Han culture and forbade the bad customs. She conveyed loyalty and supported mixed marriages between the Han Chinese and the Li.

Suppression of the Hou Jing rebellion

In 548, Hou Jing , a Chinese general, rebelled against the Liang dynasty . In 550, Li Qianshi , the rebel leader from Gaozhou, tried to convince Feng Pao to join the rebellion. But Dame Xian stopped Feng and defeated Li Qianshi's troops. In doing so, she helped General Chen Baxian to suppress the Hou-Jing rebellion. The Sui Shu provides a detailed description of the events .

Mediation in rioting

In 558, Chen Baxian established the Chen Dynasty. Xiao Bo , the feudal lord of Guangzhou, attacked Chen. Then some other provincial rulers joined and started an uprising. Lingnan sank into chaos. In order to restore peace, Lady Xian initiated a strategy “healing replaces war” (original: "治 胜于 战" zhì shèng yú zhàn). She sent messages warning the governors of the surrounding provinces not to join Xiao and urged them to ensure security, tried to end the war and promised not to punish the governors if they lay down their arms . She herself adhered to strict military discipline and punished her own soldiers accordingly. With this she achieved a quick end to the uprising.

family

Only Feng Pu is known by name of her children . He accompanies his mother in various battles and like her, he was honored by the emperor of the Chen dynasty. In addition, three grandchildren Feng Hun , Feng Hsian and Feng Ang are known. On New Year celebrations and other holidays, Lady Xian presented gifts from the rulers of the Liang, Chen and Sui dynasties and taught her grandchildren, “You must all be loyal to the emperor. I had loyally served the emperors from three dynasties! All of these gifts from them were in return for my loyalty. I hope that you all think about it and be loyal to the emperor. "

Honorary name (封号 - fēng hào)

In the Liang Dynasty (551) she was given the name "Lady of Protection" (保护 候 夫人 - hù hòu fū rén) for the suppression of the uprising of Li Qianshi. In the Chen Dynasty (570) it received the name "Shi-Long Taifuren" (石龙 太夫人), whereby in the book History of the Northern Dynasties the title with "Gaoliangjun Taifuren" (高 凉 郡 太夫人) is reproduced. In the Sui Dynasty (589) it was named "Songkangjun Furen" (宋 康 郡 夫人). In addition, she was awarded the title "Qioa guo furen" (谯 国 夫人) in 601. On her death she was given the name "Chengjing furen" (诚敬 夫人). In the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms it was called "Qingfu Furen" (清福 夫人). In the Southern Song Dynasty , the emperor named it "Xianying Furen" (显 应 夫人) and "Youfui Furen" (柔 惠 夫人). In the Qing Dynasty (1864) it was given the name "Ciyou" (慈 佑).

temple

Lady Xian was worshiped by many emperors and the people for her loyalty. Several hundred temples were erected in her honor across the country by the late 1940s. There are also some temples in Malaysia and Vietnam. The largest and most important temple is in Gaozhou . In 2000 President Jiang Zemin visited it and in 2002 the temple was listed as a cultural heritage site by the Guangdong Provincial Government. Their festival is celebrated on November 24th.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d} 本书 编写 组: 中古 时代 隋唐 时期 . 中国 友谊 出版 公司, 2011, ISBN 978-7-5057-2861-5 .
2. ↑ ^{a b} Wu Zhaoqi 吴兆奇, Li Juexun 李 爵 勋: 洗 夫人 文化 . 中国 人民出版社, 2006, ISBN 7-218-05125-1 .
3. ↑ 《高州 历史 名人 - 冼夫人》 高州 在线 .
4. ↑ 《隋 书》 国学 .
5. ↑ (王 僧孺 ， 字 僧孺 ， 东海 郯 人 ， 魏 卫 将军 肃 八 世孙) Book of Liang , vol. 33
6. ↑ 出 为 南海 ​​太守 ， 郡 常有 高 凉 生 口 及 海 舶 每 岁数 至 ， 外国 贾 人 以 通货 易。 旧时 州郡 州郡 以 半价 就 市 市 ， 又 买 而 即 卖 ， 其 利 数倍 ， 历 政 以为 常.
7. ↑ ^{a b c} 庄 昭 ， 高 惠 冰: 巾帼 英雄 第一 人 ： 洗 夫人 . 广东 人民出版社, 2005, ISBN 7-218-04993-1 .
8. ↑ 《洗 夫人》 中文 百科 在线
9. ↑ "汝等 宜 尽 赤心 向 天子 ， 我 事 三代 主 ， 唯 用 一 好心。 今 赐 物 俱 存 ， 此 此 忠孝 之 报 也。 愿 汝 皆 思念 之!"