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Diao Chan
Portrait of Diao Chan from a Qing Dynasty edition of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Traditional Chinese	貂蟬
Simplified Chinese	貂蝉
Transliterations Mandarin - Hanyu Pinyin Diāo Chán

Diao Chan was one of the Four Beauties of ancient China. She was said to have been born in 161 or 169 AD, depending on the source^[1]. However, unlike the other three beauties, she is not mentioned in any historical sources and might possibly a fictional character.

Diao Chan appears in the classic novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms in a plot involving the warrior Lü Bu and the warlord Dong Zhuo. According to historical records, Lü Bu did have relations with a maid of Dong Zhuo's. However, there is no evidence that the maid's name was "Diao Chan". In fact, it is extremely unlikely that it was Diao Chan, because "Diāo" is hardly used as a Chinese family name. "Diāochán" likely referred to the sable (diào) tails and jade decorations in the shape of cicadas (chán), which at the time adorned the hats of high-level officials.

[edit] In Romance of the Three Kingdoms

Depiction of Diao Chan, Qing Dynasty

In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Diao Chan assisted the official Wang Yun in a plot to persuade the warrior Lü Bu to kill his adopted father, the tyrannical warlord Dong Zhuo. Wang presented her to Dong Zhuo as a concubine but at the same time, Wang also betrothed her to Lü Bu. Diao Chan used her beauty to turn Dong Zhuo and Lü Bu against each other by inciting jealousy between them.

Dong Zhuo and Diao Chan as depicted in the TV series Romance of the Three Kingdoms

Lü Bu embracing Diao Chan as depicted in the TV series Romance of the Three Kingdoms

While Dong Zhuo was out one day, Lü Bu sneaked into Dong Zhuo's room to see Diao Chan. Diao Chan pretended to be very upset and attempted suicide by throwing herself into the pond, saying that she is ashamed to see Lü Bu since she is no longer a virgin. Lü Bu was heartbroken and promised that he will not let her suffer at the hands of Dong Zhuo anymore. Just then, Dong returned and saw them embracing each other. Lü Bu fled while Dong chased him with a spear, hurling the weapon at him but missed. On the way, Dong met his tactician, Li Ru, who suggested to Dong Zhuo to give up on Diao Chan and let Lü Bu have her instead, so as to win Lü Bu's trust. Dong went back to Diao Chan later and accused her of betraying his love, saying that he intends to present her to Lü Bu. Diao Chan replied indignantly that Lü Bu embraced her against her will and she even attempted suicide to "prove her love" for Dong. Dong was moved and dismissed the idea of giving up on her.

Lü Bu was outraged and he went to Wang Yun's to vent his frustration. Wang then seized the opportunity to instigate Lü Bu into joining the plot to kill Dong Zhuo, which Lü agreed. Lü Bu killed Dong Zhuo while the latter was on his way to a "coronation ceremony", which was actually a trap set by Wang and Lü. Dong Zhuo's followers led by Li Jue and Guo Si overran the capital city Chang'an later to avenge their lord and Lü Bu was defeated in battle and had to flee. Diao Chan's eventual fate differs in various accounts. Some said that she was killed by Dong Zhuo's followers along with Wang Yun after Lü Bu escaped while others claimed that she followed Lü Bu while he roamed the land with his army until he seized Puyang from Cao Cao. In some adaptations of the novel, Diao Chan was killed along with Lü Bu after the latter was defeated by Cao Cao and Liu Bei's forces at the Battle of Xiapi.

[edit] Folk tales

In one folk tale, Diao Chan was captured by Cao Cao after the Battle of Xiapi and he presented her to Guan Yu, hoping to win Guan's loyalty towards him. Guan Yu suspected that he was being tricked when he recalled how Diao Chan had betrayed Lü Bu and Dong Zhuo earlier. Guan killed her to prevent her from doing further harm. In another version of the story, Liu Bei, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei all wanted to marry Diao Chan and they argued bitterly over the issue. Guan killed her to end the dispute^[1].

In one Yuan Dynasty play, Diao Chan is introduced to Guan Yu by Zhang Fei after Lü Bu's death. Instead of accepting her as the spoils of war, Guan decapitates her with his sword. This event is not mentioned in historical records or Romance of the Three Kingdoms, but is propagated through mass media such as operas and storytelling^[2]. In another tale, Guan Yu did meet Diao Chan but he let her become a nun instead. When Cao Cao heard that, he wanted to take Diao Chan for himself and Diao Chan committed suicide when she heard that.

[edit] Modern references

Diao Chan as she appears in Koei's Dynasty Warriors 6.

• The story of Diao Chan was adapted into a Chinese film called Diao Chan in 1938.

• Diao Chan was played by Chen Hong in the 1995 CCTV TV series production Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Chen Hao plays Diao Chan in a 2010 remake of the original CCTV version.

• Diao Chan is one of the first female characters to appear in the Koei video game series Dynasty Warriors. She is also featured as Lü Bu's lover in the series. See List of Dynasty Warriors characters for further information on Diao Chan in the game series.

• She also appears in Koei's Warriors Orochi. In the game, she is rescued by Zhang Liao and Ishida Mitsunar at the five gates where Guan Yu used to return to his brothers. She joins Cao Wei in order to save Lü Bu. In the sequel, she is reunited with Lü Bu and follows him wherever he goes. In Dream Mode, she works with Zhang He and Motochika Chosokabe to save Lü Bu and repel Daji's attack at Osaka Bay.

• She also appears in Kessen II, where she is Liu Bei's lover.

• The ninth cycle of America's Next Top Model had a challenge where the final four contestants had to dress up and modernise the four beauties of ancient China. The show included a description of Diao Chan.

• In PS2 game Ikkitousen: Shining Dragon, Cho-sen (Diao Chan) appeared in this game.

• In Koihime Musō, Diao Chan is featured as a muscular man wearing only a thong, sporting two pigtails and tend to use twinkles on his eyes.

• The MMO RPG Maple Story includes a weapon called the "Diao Chan Sword" as an in-game item and some cash shop items named after Diao Chan as well.

• In the Manhua series The Ravages of Time, Diao Chan is a fake identity used by Xiaomeng, who is actually an eunuch, in order to get closer to Dong Zhuo.

• Kirsten Ren played Diao Chan in the Taiwanese TV series K.O.3an Guo, a parody of Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

[edit] See also

• Three Kingdoms
• Personages of the Three Kingdoms
• Romance of the Three Kingdoms

[edit] References

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