Chen Yuanyuan born Xing Yuan (邢沅), lived near the end of the Ming Dynasty

Ming Dynasty

The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...

, and was a concubine of Wu Sangui

Wu Sangui

Wu Sangui was a Ming Chinese general who was instrumental in the succession of rule to the Qing Dynasty in 1644...

. Her courtesy name was Wanfen . Her actual historical significance is disputed, although it is largely believed that Chen was pivotal in Wu Sangui's campaigns after the fall of the Ming. She was one of the 8 beauties in Jiangnan(江南八豔). She is compared to Helen of Troy .

History

Chen Yuanyuan was born to a peasant family, and on the death of her father, she became a courtesan. Due to her beauty and singing ability, she became a lead figure in opera in Suzhou

Suzhou

Suzhou , previously transliterated as Su-chou, Suchow, and Soochow, is a major city located in the southeast of Jiangsu Province in Eastern China, located adjacent to Shanghai Municipality. The city is situated on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and on the shores of Taihu Lake and is a part...

. Fearing for her life due to an abduction attempt, she became the concubine of Mao Xiang.

In 1642, Chen was abducted by the Tian Hongyu family where she became the singing courtisan. She then moved into the possession of Wu Sangui

Wu Sangui

Wu Sangui was a Ming Chinese general who was instrumental in the succession of rule to the Qing Dynasty in 1644...

, though how is unclear - she may have been purchased by Wu's father or given as a gift by Tian.

In April 1644, Beijing fell to a rebel army led by Li Zicheng. Chongzhen gathered the entire imperial household and ordered them, except for his sons, to commit suicide

Suicide

Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...

. The Empress hanged herself. Princess Chang Ping refused. In a fit of rage Chongzhen had her left arm cut off. He then fled to nearby Jingshan Park(景山公園), where he hanged himself on the famous Guilty Chinese Scholartree

Guilty Chinese Scholartree

The Guilty Chinese Scholartree , a specimen of Pagoda Tree located in Beijing's Jingshan park, is a famous tree and national landmark on which the last Ming Chongzhen Emperor hanged himself after a group of peasants successfully stormed the Forbidden City in 1644.The tree was uprooted during the...

(罪槐). Chen Yuanyuan reluctantly assisted by helping him up to the noose

Noose

A noose is a loop at the end of a rope in which the knot slides to make the loop collapsible. Knots used for making nooses include the running bowline, the tarbuck knot, and the slip knot.-Use in hanging:...

, according to some accounts.

Li established what he called the Shun Dynasty, but it fell to the Manchus at the end of May. Seizing their chance, the Manchus crossed the Great Wall after Wu Sangui opened the gates at Shanhai Pass. They quickly overthrew Li, who fled the Forbidden City.

Wu Sangui died during a rebellion against the Qing army, and his successor Wu Shifan committed suicide after being besieged by said army, Wu Shifan's wife and Chen committed suicide together.

Appearance in drama

The best-known literary account of the legend of Chen Yuanyuan is the "Yuanyuan qu" (Song of Chen Yuanyuan) by Wu Weiye (1609–72).

Fiction

• The Deer and the Cauldron
  The Deer and the Cauldron
  The Deer and the Cauldron, also known as The Duke of Mount Deer, is a novel by Jin Yong, and was the last of Jin Yong's works. The novel was initially published as a serial, and ran between October 24, 1969 to September 23, 1972 in Ming Pao.Although the book is often termed as a wuxia novel, it is...
  
  (鹿鼎記): a wuxia
  Wuxia
  Wuxia is a broad genre of Chinese fiction concerning the adventures of martial artists. Although wuxia is traditionally a form of literature, its popularity has caused it to spread to diverse art forms like Chinese opera, manhua , films, television series, and video games...
  
   novel by Louis Cha. In the story, Chen YuanYuan was the mother of A'ke (阿珂) – the most beautiful of the seven wives of the protagonist Wei Xiaobao
  Wei Xiaobao
  Wei Xiaobao is the fictional protagonist of Jin Yong's wuxia novel The Deer and the Cauldron . He is a witty, sly and illiterate teenager, born to a prostitute from a brothel in Yangzhou during the Qing Dynasty. He bumbles his way into the Forbidden City and has a fateful encounter with the young...
  
  .