Diaochan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Diaochan (Traditional Chinese: 貂蟬; Simplified Chinese: 貂蝉; pinyin: Diāochán) was one of the Four Beauties of ancient China. She was said to have been born in AD 169. Unlike the other three beauties, she never appears in any historical writings known to exist and is quite possibly a fictional character. According to historical records, Lü Bu did have relations with a maid of Dong Zhuo's; however, there is no evidence that this person's name was Diaochan; in fact, it is extremely unlikely that it was, because "Diào" is and was not commonly used as a Chinese family name, and "diàochán" likely referred to sable (diào) tails and jade decorations in the shape of cicadas (chán), which at the time adorned the hats of high-level officials.
Diaochan appeared in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, in which she assisted in a plot by the official Wang Yun to persuade the warrior Lü Bu to kill his adopted father, the tyrant Dong Zhuo. She did this by becoming Dong Zhuo's concubine but also Lü Bu's betrothed, then manipulating the two through their jealousy and her charm. Dong Zhuo's tactician, Li Ru, saw that the dancing girl was driving both the Lord and the Warrior mad, so he proposed that Dong Zhou give Diaochan to Lü Bu instead of fighting over her. Upon hearing this he threatened Li Ru with death and stated that no warrior was worth what Diaochan was to him. Diaochan had Lü Bu wrapped around her finger. She told him that being with Dong Zhuo made her unhappy and wished to only be with him. Lü Bu was outraged and went to Wang Yun to plot Dong Zhou's death. Lü Bu had to escape shortly after killing Dong Zhuo and he lost a battle to Dong Zhuo's generals. However, he did meet up with Diaochan once more. Diào Chán followed Lü Bu during his time as a rogue leader until he took Cao Cao's castle of Puyang. Together they traveled the land until Lü Bu was later killed when Cao Cao's forces conquered his base, Xiapi. There is no mention of Diaochan in the novel after this.
[edit] Modern references
Diaochan was portrayed by Chen Hong in the 1995 TV serial Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
Diaochan is also a playable character in the Koei video game series Dynasty Warriors, where she is alternatively named "Diao Chan." She is portrayed as an extremely beautiful and feminine woman who despises violence. She will, however, take to the battlefield in order to preserve her beliefs and protect her friends should the need arise. Diao Chan wields two chúi, decorated elegantly in pink, gold and red, that she calls the "Divas."
Diao Chan's story revolves around her initial plot to slowly tear the relationship between Dong Zhuo and Lǚ Bù apart by sowing discord and unease between the pair in order to topple the former's reign of terror. She successfully achieves this, convincing Lǚ to assassinate Dong, although she falls in love with Lǚ in the process. Diao then travels throughout the land with Lǚ and is critical to his short-lived success, as she is portrayed as the only character able to sooth and calm Lǚ each time he becomes blinded with rage and loses sight of his best interests. Diao chan's love for Lǚ only grows stronger with each passing battle, with her remaining by his side no matter the cost. Eventually, even Diao is unable to guide Lǚ away from his reckless actions, and the pair are forced into battle against the much larger combined armies of Cao Cao and Liu Bei, after Lǚ usurped the latter's position of power at Xia Pi Castle. With Lǚ's renowned contempt for the use of battlefield strategy leaving little hope for victory, his men rightly predict their impending doom, and many of his disillusioned and poorly treated officers and advisors abandon him. Diao Chan, however, remains loyal to the end, and ultimately dies fighting by his side at the Battle of Xia Pi, sending Lǚ into a murderous, blinding rage which ultmiately leads to his defeat and subsequent execution by the calm and methodical Cao Cao.
Should the player choose Diao Chan as his/her character, she will survive the Battle of Xia Pi and Lǚ's army will take victory. Lǚ, however, lives only long enough to die in the arms of his beloved Diao Chan.
