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墨書 Inktalez
She is the first "Seduction" spy in history, transformed from a naturally simple Village Girl into the Stunning Beauty known as the Disaster of a Fallen Nation, all because she was deceived by a scoundrel.
Although she ranks first among The Four Great Beauties of China, she also has the trouble of large feet. To conceal this flaw, she always wears a Long Skirt, with bells hanging at her waist and specially made Geta. However, this unique style gives her dance an unparalleled grace, making her one of the earliest practitioners of Tap Dance in China.
She is known as "The Most Beautiful Woman in History," the Charming Fish, Xi Shi.
So how glorious was Xi Shi's journey as a spy? What did she accomplish? Is her love story with Fan Li true or false?
People often say "Disaster of Beauty." Throughout history, there have been tales of Daji seducing King Zhou of Shang to dig out Bi Gan's heart, Zhou Youwang and The Fire of War and the Lords, and Bao Si whose smile brought disaster to the nation. There are also stories of Tang Xuanzong for Yang Yuhuan, saying "Spring Nights Are Short, and the Sun Rises High," leading to "The King Does Not Attend Court Early."
However, these beauties have all been indiscriminately labeled as disasters for the country and its people.
Only Xi Shi, the foremost among the Four Great Beauties, caused chaos in Wu Kingdom leading to its downfall, yet she is still referred to as China's first female spy throughout eternity.
Xi Shi, originally named Shi Yiguang, was born during the Spring and Autumn Period in Zhuluo Village of Yue Country.
Due to the ramie being divided into eastern and western villages, Shi Yiguang lived in the west village, hence she was called Xi Shi. From a young age, she accompanied her mother by the river washing silk, which is why she is also known as the Washing Girl.
The scene of Xi Shi washing silk has inspired countless poets and scholars.
Li Bai once wrote a poem titled "Xi Shi," describing her beauty: "Her grace eclipses both ancient and modern times; lotus flowers shy away from her jade-like face. Washing silk by the clear waters, she plays with the rippling waves." This paints a romantic picture of a beauty washing silk by the water.
It is said that when Xi Shi washed silk, her stunning appearance and graceful figure mesmerized the fish in the water so much that they could not swim away and sank to the bottom.
Thus, "Charming Fish" became synonymous with Xi Shi, and this stream was named "Washing Sand Creek."
There is no doubt that Xi Shi's beauty was extraordinary. However, for Xi Shi herself, washing silk may not have been as romantic. Each day she went to wash silk was like going to work for us today, facing heavy work pressure.
Recently, there has been a trend online called "Disgusting Work Outfits," referring to ugly clothes saved for work.
I imagine Xi Shi felt similarly; washing silk likely did not involve dressing up. There is even a saying that because she worked by the river with her feet constantly immersed in water and bearing weight on them, Xi Shi's feet became particularly large.
Reality and imagination always have a gap; the true Xi Shi washing silk was not romantic at all, but rather very hard work.
However, how could the scenes of the hardworking village girls inspire ancient creators? Thus, they could only depict the beauty lightly holding silk.
Xi Shi suffered from chest pain, often clutching her chest and frowning.
A plain girl from the East Village thought this action was very aesthetically pleasing, so she imitated her, walking around the neighborhood with her hand on her chest. As a result, wealthy people shut their doors upon seeing her, while the poor ran away in fear.
The plain girl only knew that Xi Shi looked good when she frowned but did not understand the reason behind it. Not only did she fail to imitate well, but she also ended up looking foolish.
Later generations referred to this plain girl as Dong Shi, which is also the origin of the idiom "Dong Shi's imitation." Meanwhile, Xi Shi's beauty gradually spread far and wide.
So, how did Xi Shi, a village beauty known in nearby areas, become a spy?
In 494 BC, King Fu Chai of Wu defeated the State of Yue and captured King Goujian of Yue.
King Goujian repeatedly advised Wu's Chancellor Dong Shi to kill him to eliminate future threats. However, Fu Chai was intoxicated by his victory over Yue and saw the former king Goujian bowing and serving him like a slave.
Fu Chai's vanity was satisfied like never before; thus, instead of killing Goujian, he imprisoned him for three years before allowing him to return home.
This led to the famous saying: "Those who work hard will not be let down; Endure Hardship for Future Success; three thousand Yue soldiers can swallow Wu."
Upon returning home, Minister Wen Zhong proposed to King Goujian of Yue the "Nine Strategies Against Wu," among which the fourth strategy was "to give them beautiful women to inspire their ambitions," known in later generations as the "beauty trap."
Therefore, Gou Jian sent Minister Fan Li throughout the country to search for beautiful women. Xi Shi's beauty had already gained some fame in nearby villages.
When Fan Li arrived here and learned of Xi Shi's beauty, he went to Washing Sand Creek to find her. Upon seeing her, he was astonished by her beauty and immediately recognized her as a heavenly figure. Thus, Xi Shi became the beauty in the beauty trap.
However, merely having beauty was not enough to win King Fu Chai of Wu's favor.
A true beauty must possess three qualities: first, beauty; second, the ability to sing and dance; and third, gracefulness. Gou Jian believed that Xi Shi, who came from a rural background, only met the first criterion.
According to the "Wuyue Spring and Autumn," "Dressed in fine silk, taught in demeanor and steps, trained in the earthen city, and presented in the capital after three years of learning."
The beauties chosen by the State of Yue underwent three years of special training, sometimes with King Goujian himself teaching them.
In three years, Xi Shi transformed from a beautiful village girl into the world's most stunning beauty, known for captivating cities and nations with just a glance.
Xi Shi was sent to the Wu Kingdom in perfect condition. The main purpose of this beauty transaction was to make King Fu Chai of Wu infatuated with her and neglect state affairs.
Although Fuchai was once a wise ruler who led troops into battle and governed the country, throughout history, heroes have struggled against the allure of beauty. Faced with a trained beauty like Xi Shi, he could not help but fall under her spell.
From then on, Fuchai ignored state matters and was inseparable from Xi Shi. For her sake, he transformed Gusu Terrace, originally meant for defense against enemies, into a place for entertainment and lavishly constructed the Palace of the Dancing Maidens.
After the Palace of the Dancing Maidens was completed, he heard that Xi Shi had a unique style of dancing. Thus, he built a special corridor within the palace for her performances.
They dug out the ground beneath and placed large jars inside, resembling modern resonance boxes, then laid beautiful wooden boards on top.
Xi Shi adorned her skirt with small bells and wore Geta. Whenever she stomped on the floor with her Geta, rhythmic echoes would resonate beneath her feet, accompanied by the crisp sounds of the bells on her skirt. With her beauty and graceful dance moves, it was a scene that seemed to belong to heaven—rarely seen on earth.
Fuchai felt immensely satisfied and immediately embraced Xi Shi. He named her dance "Sounding Clogs Dance" and called this corridor "Sounding Clogs Corridor." The "Sounding Clogs Dance" is also considered one of China's earliest forms of tap dance.
From then on, Fuchai became a devoted admirer year-round, reveling at Gusu Terrace with Xi Shi every night while neglecting military affairs. This led to treacherous ministers gaining power. Ultimately, he listened to slanderous words and harmed loyal minister Wu Zixu, leaving behind one of the most shocking phrases in Spring and Autumn history: "Dig out my eyes and place them at the eastern gate of Wu to witness Yue's destruction of Wu."
This meant that after his death, they should plant catalpa trees beside his grave so that when they grew tall enough, they could be made into his coffin. Afterward, these could be used to bury the souls of fallen warriors from Wu Kingdom. He demanded that his eyeballs be hung above the eastern gate of Wu's capital so he could see Yue's army invade Gusu and destroy Wu Kingdom.
What a painful realization! However, Wu Zixu's request could never be fulfilled; after his death, his body was thrown into the Qiantang River by an enraged Fuchai.
In 473 BC, Yue conquered Wu Kingdom, leading to King Fu Chai's suicide. The beauty scheme centered around Xi Shi had succeeded spectacularly.
Of course, there are many factors that contributed to the fall of the Wu Kingdom, but it cannot be denied that Xi Shi also played an important role.
After the smoke of the Wu-Yue conflict cleared, there are various legends about Xi Shi's fate in later generations.
Some say that Xi Shi felt a sense of relief for having fulfilled her mission, but at the same time, she felt guilty for King Fu Chai of Wu, unable to free herself from this contradictory mindset, ultimately taking her own life in the Palace of the Dancing Maidens.
Others claim that King Goujian wanted to keep Xi Shi by his side due to her beauty, but Fan Li strongly opposed this. He wanted King Goujian to learn from the lessons of the Wu King and not be tempted by beauty, so he devised a plan to sink Xi Shi into the lake.
There are also stories about her being discovered by the people of Wu Kingdom and being met with their wrath.
However, the most widely circulated tale is recorded in The Book of Yue Jue, which states that "after the fall of Wu, Xi Shi returned to Fan Li, and they rowed across the Five Lakes together," suggesting that Fan Li took Xi Shi with him, and they finally became a couple.
Yet precisely because they were lovers, Fan Li's act of sending Xi Shi to the Wu Kingdom can be seen as somewhat selfish or manipulative by modern standards.
In fact, the love story between Fan Li and Xi Shi is controversial; historical documents do not provide evidence of a romantic relationship between them.
According to historical records, Fan Li did have a wife who bore him three sons, but this wife was certainly not Xi Shi. Although we may wish for her to be Xi Shi in our hearts.
In many legends, they are portrayed as a romantic and beautiful couple.
It cannot be said that these legends are entirely false, but since historical texts do not clearly record Xi Shi's fate, we can only remain uncertain about it.
Regardless, we are always willing to encounter beauty; in our own spiritual world, everyone can freely sketch out the ending they desire.
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