Gender and Sexuality

In many ways Yang Guifei represents the ideal woman of the Tang dynasty. Sources from the Tang dynasty show the elevated prominence of women due to the influence of the Northern nomadic tribes. The evidence stems from the depiction of women in tomb paintings and statues riding on horseback, playing polo, shooting bows, and wearing low-cut gowns and sometimes even men’s clothing (Lewis 183-4). Unlike other periods in Chinese history, daughters were valued because the custom was for men to give betrothal gifts to the family of his bride (Lewis 183). Despite relative liberation, women, especially higher class women, were expected to be completely submissive to their husbands (Lewis 184).

To the left is an example of one of the pottery figurines of women found in tombs in the Tang Dynasty. This one in particular is a woman shooting a bow (Lewis 184). To the right is a painting from 1250 by Qian Xuan of Yang Guifei mounting a horse. Women riding horses is an example of Northern influence.

Yang Guifei conformed to the ideal female role in many ways. First, she represents the ideal “passive” woman of the time. In the Song of Lasting Regret, Bai Juyi describes her as “Raised in the women’s quarters protected, unacquainted yet with others,” demonstrating how she did exactly what was expected of her as an upper-class woman. She also “was chosen for placement at the side of the emperor” showing that she was passive, allowing decisions to be made for her (Mair 479). In “Song of Lasting Regret” descriptions of her do not extend beyond her beauty, showing that she was not valued for and did not contribute much more than that. Additionally, she did not thirst for power herself, but she did use her position for the advantage of her relatives, a common practice among women in the emperor’s circle. By manipulating her political influence she was able to elevate relatives to high positions, such as “President of the Court for Diplomatic relations” and censor (Twitchett 428). Most importantly, her cousin, Yang Zhao, was appointed as a local official in Shu (modern Sichuan). From there he was able to rise becoming an examining censor and then the prime minister (Twitchett 428-9).

These photos demonstrate the idealized beauty that Yang Guifei personified. The first is a modern statue of Yang built in 2006 by Alex Kwok. The second is a painting from 1922 by Uemura Shoen. The final is an image from the 2015 film Lady of The Dynasty.

Even though it was slightly justified, as her relatives did hold some responsibility, people found it easier to blame Yang Guifei for the An Lushan rebellion because she was a women and because of the allegedly shameful relationship between her and Xuanzong. In early China the view was that power was dualistic like the Daoist yin and yang dichotomy. Women were necessary for the patriarchy to be effective. One factor in this was that women were often used in stories to explain either the rise or fall of powerful men (Mann 845). Yang Guifei was no exception. Her passivity and dedication to adhering to the rules set out for her by society made her an easy landing pad for the blame for the failures of emperor Xuanzong. Susan Mann said it best in her presidential address, “Clearly Yang Guifei's is a myth of womanhood that conflates the collapse of the empire with the sexual fall of the ruler, comparing the seductive powers of a woman to the treacherous powers of a general, and rendering the narration of the dynastic cycle in sexualized and even romantic language” (Mann 849).

Yang Guifei was a victim to her time and place. The elite society of Chang’an in the Tang dynasty, while allowing women to rise in historical significance, restricted women to playing specific roles. The role Yang Guifei embodied was that of an ideally beautiful and passive wife. Although remembered for her beauty and the emperor’s love for her, the same beauty and passivity that attracted him to her sparked her downfall. She did exactly as was expected of her by society: attracted the attention of a powerful man to elevate the success of her family and then remained passive following the commands of the men in her life. However, as her world began to shudder and rebellion broke out, her passivity became a burden. She was easily blamed for the missteps of her husband and family members and eventually she was forced to follow the most pressing command yet, the order of her execution from the mouth of her husband.

Sources:

Lewis, Mark Edward. China's Cosmopolitan Empire: The Tang Dynasty. Cambridge: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2012.

China’s Cosmopolitan Empire: The Tang Dynasty gives a detailed account on the Tang Dynasty. The first chapter focuses on the geography of the empire, which I found useful for Geographical Context. The book also contains information on the the history of the Tang Dynasty as a whole, the An Lushan rebellion, Emperor Xuanzong’s reign and the story of Yang Guifei herself. This was useful in crafting a detailed Historical context as well as information on gender.

Mair, Victor H. The Shorter Columbia Anthology of Traditional Chinese Literature. New York, NY: Columbia Univ. Press, 2000.

I used The Shorter Columbia Anthology of Traditional Chinese Literature, specifically “The Song of Lasting Regret” by Bai Juyi, to see how Yang Guifei was represented in poetry at the time. The source is helpful in demonstrating her representation in popular literature, and therefore how she was perceived by those who read the poetry of Bai Juyi. Additionally, Mair provides a summary of the Historical background and Yang Guifei’s background. Finally, I find this source helpful for the way its language demonstrates the levels of passivity and beauty that elite women like Yang Guifei were encouraged to uphold.

Mann, Susan. "Presidential Address: Myths of Asian Womanhood." The Journal of Asian Studies 59 (October/November 2000): 835-62. http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/2659214.pdf

In “Myths of Asian Womanhood” Mann discusses the way the stories of Hua Mulan and Yang Guifei shaped Chinese womanhood. She speaks specifically about how the story of Yang Guifei has become a myth due to the embellishments that mislead audiences and readers into thinking that one woman had the ability to take down an entire dynasty by means of her sexuality alone. I used this source for its commentary on gender as well as its commentary on the representation of Yang Guifei in elite and popular culture.

Twitchett, Denis Crispin. "Chapter 7: Hsuan-Tsung (Reign 712-56)." In Sui and T'ang China, 589-906 ; Pt. 1. Vol. 3 of The Cambridge History of China. Cambridge [u.a.]: Cambridge Univ. Press, 1979. Accessed October 30, 2017. https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/F7ACD2764528EC6B8E9263BB11ECCC16/9781139055949c7_p333-463_CBO.pdf/hsuantsung_reign_71256.pdf.

Volume 3 of The Cambridge History of China is a detailed account of the Tang Dynasty. I focused on the chapter on Xuanzong, particularly the section on “The rise of the Yang family and Yang Kuie-fei”. The section was useful, because it demonstrates the way Yang Guifei could exercise what power she had, helping to contribute to my analysis of gender in the Yang Guifei’s story and the Tang dynasty as a whole.

Image Sources:

Lewis, Mark Edward. China's Cosmopolitan Empire: The Tang Dynasty. Cambridge: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2012.

China’s Cosmopolitan Empire: The Tang Dynasty gives a detailed account on the Tang Dynasty. The first chapter focuses on the geography of the empire, which I found useful for Geographical Context. The book also contains information on the the history of the Tang Dynasty as a whole, the An Lushan rebellion, Emperor Xuanzong’s reign and the story of Yang Guifei herself. This was useful in crafting a detailed Historical context as well as information on gender.

Xuan, Qian. Yang Guifei Mounts a Horse. 1250. Freer Gallery of Art, Washington, DC. Accessed November 17, 2017. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ch%27ien_Hs%C3%BCan_002.jpg

Kwok, Alex. Yang Guifei. 2006. Accessed November 17, 2017. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hua-Qing-Chi-Yang-Gui-Fei.jpg.

Shoen, Uemura. Yang Gui Fei. 1922. Accessed November 17, 2017. https://www.wikiart.org/en/uemura-shoen/yang-gui-fei-1922.

Qing, Shi, dir. Lady of the Dynasty (Wángcháo de Nǚrén Yáng Guìfēi). China Film Group, 2015.

Lady of the Dynasty is the a dramatized film version of the story of Yang Guifei and Emperor Xuanzong’s love. The film puts emphasis on the tragedy and romance of the story, and focuses less on the historical content. I used this source as an example of Yang Guifei’s representation in popular culture and a point for analysis. Film is a way modern Chinese youth receive their information on Yang Guifei.