Ma Xianglan Ma Xianglan () was born in Nanjing, and she lived in the entertainment district along the
Qinhuai River. As a matriarch in Yiji society, she encouraged the education and training of Yijis in the arts. In order to maintain her reputation as an elite Yiji, she only allowed educated men or young student lords within her residence. At the age of 15, Ma Shouzhen formally assumed the position of Yiji. Before this, she may have received education from a proprietor during her childhood. As Yiji matriarch, she befriended many poets and intellects such as
Peng Nian (; 1505–1566),
Zhou Tianqiu (; 1514–1595),
Xu Wei (1521–1593),
Xue Mingyi (; late 16th century), and
Wang Zhideng (; 1535–1612). The poets would write poems inspired by her or for her, describing Ma as beautiful with a warm and welcoming personality. During their visits, Ma Shouzhen joined them in making paintings, poems, and plays. She also hosted parties on her multi-leveled house-boat with the
literati as her guests.
Bian Yujing Bian Yujing () was a
Yiji and painter in
Qinhuai during the late Ming period. Born into an official family, the family hit hard times when her father died. Bian and her sister became singing girls to support themselves. Bian was adept at writing poetry, music, calligraphy and painting. She exchanged poems with author and poet
Qian Qianyi. Chinese general
Wu Sangui was amongst her patrons, as was poet
Wu Weiye who from the 1630s to the 1660s wrote poems about Bian. After the
Manchus invaded in 1644, Bian moved around the
Yangtze area. She later took her vows and became a
Daoist priestess.
Li Xiangjun Li Xiangjun () is also referred to as Li Ji () or Li Xiang () in contemporary sources. In order to demonstrate respect for her, later scholars appended the character
jun () to her name. Her
courtesy name was Shanzhui (). No written records from the time Li lived record where she was born, but popular modern theories suggest that she was the daughter of an official, who was demoted and his family either killed or sold. Li was adopted by the owner of a gelou in
Nanjing called Meixiang House (), whose
surname she took. She was taught to dance, sing, paint, play music, and write poetry. Meixiang House was a favoured gelou of the literati and officials, with Li's adopted mother known for her generosity and chivalry. By age 13, Li was renowned for her singing and playing the
pipa that her mistress charged 20
gold taels per guest to see her. Li met Hou Fangyu at Meixiang House in 1648. Hou sent her poems and Li performed for him in return. When Hou left to sit the imperial examinations (which he failed), Li waited for him and refused to perform for the inspector general of
Huaiyang County. Li's romance with Hou Fangyu has been called one of the greatest romances of Chinese history.
Liu Rushi Liu Rushi () is believed to have been born in
Jiaxing, Liu was sold by her family as a concubine to the
grand secretary (). At the age of thirteen, a scandal led to her expulsion from Zhou's household, and she was sold to a gelou in
Suzhou. At seventeen, she had her first major love affair, with the painter Tang Shuda. Already a noted poet and painter herself at this early age, she met
Chen Zilong () in 1635 and lived with him for about a year, eventually leaving after his family disapproved of their liaison. After leaving Chen, she managed a gelou in
Wujiang. An affair with the artist Wang Janming ended when Wang failed to attend an appointment with her at the Rainbow Pavilion. Another affair with Song Yuanwen, a government official, ended when his vacillations over marriage resulted in Liu smashing her lute and storming off in a fit of pique. In 1640 Liu embarked on a campaign to marry the respected scholar Qian Qianyi. Dressed in men's clothing, she accosted Qian and requested his opinion on one of her poems. Qian apparently believed her to be a man, but later in the year he had established her at a specially built hermitage in the grounds of his Suzhou estate, called the "According to Sutra Studio". They married in 1641, whilst on a river cruise; Qian bestowing upon his bride the new name of Hedong. Although he married her as a concubine, Qian treated Liu as his principal wife, and they were married in a formal wedding ceremony. Her affinity for cross-dressing persisted after they were married; she regularly wore men's clothing whilst in public and on occasion made calls on her husband's behalf whilst dressed in his Confucian robes (this affectation earned her the nickname
rushi (), "Confucian Gentleman", which also puns on her chosen name Rushi).
Dong Xiaowan after her death
Dong Xiaowan (1624–1651) was a Chinese
Yiji, poet and writer, also known by her
pen name Dong Qinglian (). Dong has been described as the famous
Yiji of her time, known for her beauty and talent in singing, needlework and the tea ceremony. She lived in
Qinhuai District of
Nanjing. Similar to other Yijis of the late
Ming Dynasty, Dong's moral qualities were emphasised among her admirers more than her talents. Dong's mother died in 1642, leaving her to struggle financially. The noble (), also known as Mao Bijiang, had attempted to meet with Dong several times, but had pursued a relationship with the Yiji
Chen Yuanyuan instead. After Chen was abducted by a noble associated with the imperial court, Mao visited Dong. Her mother had been dead for two weeks and Dong was quite ill. She proposed that she become his concubine and, refusing to take no for an answer, allegedly followed him for 27 days on his boat. Eventually, the two agreed to wait for Mao to pass the
imperial examinations, which he failed. In order to facilitate Dong's marriage,
Qian Qianyi, husband of fellow Yiji
Liu Rushi, paid off her debts of 3,000
gold taels and had her name struck from the musicians' register. She then lived with Mao in
Rugao as his concubine, alongside his wife Lady Su. She has been described as an ideal dutiful, sacrificing and loyal wife and daughter-in-law during her marriage to Mao Bijiang, who as a loyalist of the Ming dynasty was persecuted after the Qing dynasty's rise to power in 1644. When Mao, Lady Su and Dong were forced to flee their home in 1644, Dong abandoned her more valuable belongings to save her writings and paintings. They stayed in
Huzhou until
Zhu Yousong was crowned emperor in
Nanjing later in 1644. Soon after, the household moved to
Zhejiang, where Dong compiled a book titled
Liuyan Ji () about jewellery, women's costumes, pavilions and parties.
Gu Hengbo Gu Hengbo (), also known as
Gu Mei () was born near
Nanjing in 1619. At the beginning of the
Chongzhen reign, Gu Mei became a
Yiji in the
Qinhuai River district of Nanjing. In her Tower Meilou in Qinhuai district in Nanjing, she hosted a famous
literary salon, which counted Chen Liang,
Qian Lucan and among its guests. Yu Huai described Meilou (literally
house of bewitchment) as lavish and extravagant. She fell in love with one of her patrons, Liu Fang, promised to marry him and to end her career as a Yiji. When she later changed her mind, Liu Fang committed suicide. One of her patrons, the career official
Gong Dingzi, paid 1,000 ounces of silver for her services. In 1643, she left her profession to become a
concubine to Gong Dingzi and settled with him in the capital. His openly demonstrated love for her attracted much attention during their time, as it offended the norms of Confucian ideals, and her influence over him became legendary. She is known to have saved the
Yan Ermei from execution, and to have been the benefactor of the artist
Zhu Yizun.
Kou Baimen Kou Baimen (), born in 1624 and also known as
Kou Mei (; Mei was her given name, Baimen her
courtesy name), was a famous Chinese
Yiji known for her chivalry. Kou was a
Yiji and when she was 18 or 19 her indenture was bought out by a high official, (), whom she married. The wedding was a lavish affair with 5,000 soldiers lining the route from Wuding Bridge to Zhu's home at Nei Bridge, but the marriage soon deteriorated. When the
Ming dynasty fell to the
Manchus in 1645, Zhu was arrested and imprisoned. Kou brought his freedom for 20,000
taels of gold. The payment for Zhu's release was seen as her buying herself out of the marriage. She then lived the life of a Yiji, receiving poets and statesmen in her garden studio. The poet () visited her in 1655 and wrote 3 poems for her. Kou was painted by many of the leading artists of the time.
Chen Yuanyuan Chen Yuanyuan () was born to a peasant family in
Jiangsu province, and on the death of her father, she became a
Yiji. Chen became a leading figure in the
Suzhou opera scene. In 1642, she became the lover of the scholar and poet Mao Xiang. Subsequently, Chen was bought by the family of Tian Hongyu, father of one of the
Chongzhen Emperor's concubines. She was then either purchased for Wu Sangui by his father, or given to Wu as a gift by Tian. In April 1644, the rebel army of
Li Zicheng captured the Ming capital of
Beijing, and the Chongzhen Emperor committed suicide. Knowing that Wu Sangui's formidable army at Ningyuan posed a serious threat, Li immediately made overtures to gain Wu's allegiance. Li sent two letters to Wu, including one in the name of Wu's father, then held captive in Beijing. Before Wu Sangui could respond, he received word that his entire household had been slaughtered. Wu then wrote to the Qing regent,
Dorgon, indicating his willingness to combine forces to oust the rebels from Beijing, thus setting the stage for the Qing conquest of China. ==References==