Baosi
Encyclopedia
Baosi was the concubine of the Ancient Chinese sovereign King You of Zhou
. She was considered one of the most beautiful Chinese women ever.
, two dragons entered the palace of the king. When they left, the Xia king ordered that the dragon's saliva left inside the palace be kept in a wooden box. During the time of King Li of Zhou
, he tried to open the box despite a taboo against such an act, since it had not been opened for more than a thousand years. The saliva accidentally spilled and transformed into a turtle. The turtle crawled in front of a female slave who became pregnant. Forty years later the slave gave birth to a girl whom the mother abandoned. The girl was later adopted by some people of the Bao State and raised to adulthood. She was presented to King You who liked her.
In 779
BC
, Baosi entered the palace and came into King You's favour. She bore him a son named Bofu
(伯服). King You depose
d Queen Shen
(申后) and Crown Prince Yijiu. He made Baosi the new queen and Bofu the new crown prince
.
Baosi was of a melancholy disposition so King You offered a thousand ounces of gold to anyone who could make her laugh. Someone at the court suggested lighting the warning beacons usually used to summon armies from the surrounding vassal states in times of danger. The nobles duly arrived at the court only to find themselves laughed at by Baosi. Even after King You had impressed Baosi, he continued to abuse his use of warning beacons and so lost the trust of the nobles.
Queen Shen's father was upset by the deposition of his daughter and grandson Crown Prince Yijiu and mounted an attack on King You's palace in conjunction with Quanrong
nomads. King You called for the nobles with the beacons but none came. In the end, King You and Bofu were killed and Baosi was captured at Xi (戲/戏). King You's death marks the end of the Western Zhou Dynasty and the beginning of the Spring and Autumn Period.
After her capture, Baosi accepted a bribe from Zhou and left the capital. Later, during another attack by Quanrong nomads, Baosi was unable to escape and hung herself. Her date of death is unknown.
King You of Zhou
King You of Zhou was the twelfth sovereign of the Chinese Zhou Dynasty and the last of Western Zhou Dynasty. He reigned from 781 to 771 BCE.In 780 BCE, a major earthquake hit Guanzhong...
. She was considered one of the most beautiful Chinese women ever.
Life
Legends record that during the last years of the Xia DynastyXia Dynasty
The Xia Dynasty is the first dynasty in China to be described in ancient historical chronicles such as Bamboo Annals, Classic of History and Records of the Grand Historian. The Xia Dynasty was established by the legendary Yu the Great after Shun, the last of the Five Emperors gave his throne to him...
, two dragons entered the palace of the king. When they left, the Xia king ordered that the dragon's saliva left inside the palace be kept in a wooden box. During the time of King Li of Zhou
King Li of Zhou
King Li of Zhou was the tenth sovereign of the Chinese Zhou Dynasty. Estimated dates of his reign are 877–841 BC or 857–842 BC ....
, he tried to open the box despite a taboo against such an act, since it had not been opened for more than a thousand years. The saliva accidentally spilled and transformed into a turtle. The turtle crawled in front of a female slave who became pregnant. Forty years later the slave gave birth to a girl whom the mother abandoned. The girl was later adopted by some people of the Bao State and raised to adulthood. She was presented to King You who liked her.
In 779
779
Year 779 was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 779 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Europe :* Offa of Mercia defeats Cynewulf of Wessex...
BC
Anno Domini
and Before Christ are designations used to label or number years used with the Julian and Gregorian calendars....
, Baosi entered the palace and came into King You's favour. She bore him a son named Bofu
Bofu
Bofu , sometimes referred to as Bopan , was the son of Chinese Zhou Dynasty monarch King You of Zhou and his concubine Baosi . After Baosi entered the royal palace, King You deposed Queen Shen and her son Crown Prince Yijiu , replacing them with Baosi and Bofu...
(伯服). King You depose
Deposition (politics)
Deposition by political means concerns the removal of a politician or monarch. It may be done by coup, impeachment, invasion or forced abdication...
d Queen Shen
Shen
Shen can refer to:* Shen , a central word in Chinese philosophy, religion, terms for God, and Traditional Chinese Medicine* Shen , a shapeshifting Chinese dragon believed to create mirages...
(申后) and Crown Prince Yijiu. He made Baosi the new queen and Bofu the new crown prince
Crown Prince
A crown prince or crown princess is the heir or heiress apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The wife of a crown prince is also titled crown princess....
.
Baosi was of a melancholy disposition so King You offered a thousand ounces of gold to anyone who could make her laugh. Someone at the court suggested lighting the warning beacons usually used to summon armies from the surrounding vassal states in times of danger. The nobles duly arrived at the court only to find themselves laughed at by Baosi. Even after King You had impressed Baosi, he continued to abuse his use of warning beacons and so lost the trust of the nobles.
Queen Shen's father was upset by the deposition of his daughter and grandson Crown Prince Yijiu and mounted an attack on King You's palace in conjunction with Quanrong
Quanrong
The Quǎnróng , literally "Dog Rong", were an ethnic group active in the north western part of China during the Zhōu and later dynasties. Their language is classified as part of the Tibeto-Burman branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages family....
nomads. King You called for the nobles with the beacons but none came. In the end, King You and Bofu were killed and Baosi was captured at Xi (戲/戏). King You's death marks the end of the Western Zhou Dynasty and the beginning of the Spring and Autumn Period.
After her capture, Baosi accepted a bribe from Zhou and left the capital. Later, during another attack by Quanrong nomads, Baosi was unable to escape and hung herself. Her date of death is unknown.
See also
- MoxiJie of XiaKing Jie was the 17th and last ruler of the Xia dynasty of China. He is traditionally regarded as a tyrant and oppressor who brought about the collapse of a dynasty. Around 1600 BCE Jie was defeated by Shang Tang, bringing an end to the Xia Dynasty, that lasted about 500 years, and a rise to the...
- DajiDajiDaji was a favorite concubine of King Zhou of Shang, the last king of the Shang Dynasty in ancient China. She is a classic example of how a beauty causes the downfall of an empire/dynasty in Chinese culture...
- Yang GuifeiYang GuifeiConsort Yang Yuhuan , often known as Yáng Guìfēi , known briefly by the Taoist nun name Taizhen , was known as one of the Four Beauties of ancient China...
- The Boy Who Cried WolfThe Boy Who Cried WolfThe Boy Who Cried Wolf, is one of Aesop's Fables, numbered 210 in the Perry Index. From it is derived the English idiom 'to cry wolf', meaning to give a false alarm.-The fable and its history:...