Two Qiaos
| Da Qiao (Older Qiao) | |
|---|---|
| Born | (Unknown) |
| Died | (Unknown) |
| Names | |
| Simplified Chinese | 大乔 / 大桥 |
| Traditional Chinese | 大喬 / 大橋 |
| Pinyin | Dà Qiáo |
| Wade–Giles | Ta Ch'iao |
| Xiao Qiao (Younger Qiao) | |
|---|---|
| Born | (Unknown) |
| Died | (Unknown) |
| Names | |
| Simplified Chinese | 小乔 / 小桥 |
| Traditional Chinese | 小喬 / 小橋 |
| Pinyin | Xiǎo Qiáo |
| Wade–Giles | Hsiao Ch'iao |
The Two Qiaos of Jiangdong (traditional Chinese: 江東二喬; simplified Chinese: 江东二乔; pinyin: Jiāngdōng èr Qiáo) were two sisters of the Qiao family who lived in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. Their names were not recorded in history, so in later times they are simply referred to as Da Qiao (literally: "older Qiao") and Xiao Qiao (literally: "younger Qiao"). They were from Huan (皖), Lujiang commandery (廬江郡), which is in present-day Anqing, Anhui. Da Qiao married the warlord Sun Ce, who established the foundation of the state of Eastern Wu in the Three Kingdoms period; Xiao Qiao was married to the general Zhou Yu, who served Sun Ce and his successor Sun Quan.[1]
In fiction
The Qiao sisters are featured as characters in the historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms (Sanguo Yanyi) by Luo Guanzhong, which romanticises the historical events before and during the Three Kingdoms period. In the novel, the Chinese character for "Qiao" in their names, '橋', is replaced with '喬'.
In the novel, the Qiao sisters were the daughters of Qiao Xuan. Zhou Yu's biography in the historical text Records of the Three Kingdoms (Sanguozhi) did not state the name of the Qiao sisters' father, who was simply referred to as "Qiao Gong" (橋公; literally: Elder Qiao). Historically, Qiao Xuan died in 183, while the Qiao sisters married Sun Ce and Zhou Yu in 200, so it was not possible that Qiao Xuan was still living when the marriages took place. Therefore, it is highly unlikely that Qiao Xuan was the "Qiao Gong" mentioned in Zhou Yu's biography.
See List of fictitious stories in Romance of the Three Kingdoms#Zhuge Liang's diplomatic mission to Jiangdong for another fictional event in Sanguo Yanyi in which the Qiao sisters are mentioned by name only.
Modern references
The Qiao sisters are featured as playable characters in Koei's Dynasty Warriors and Warriors Orochi video game series. The anime Koihime Musō and Ikki Tousen make references to Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao as well, in which they are known by their respective names in Japanese - "Daikyō" and "Shōkyō".
Taiwanese supermodel Lin Chi-ling starred as Xiao Qiao in the 2008 Chinese epic war film Red Cliff directed by John Woo. In the film, it is surmised that Cao Cao's infatuation with Xiao Qiao is the reason why he invaded Sun Quan's lands and initiated the battle. Chinese actress Huang Yi played Xiao Qiao in Just Another Pandora's Box, a spoof of Red Cliff.
Cai Hancen and Tsai Yi-chen portrayed Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao respectively in the 2009 Taiwanese television series K.O.3an Guo, a spoof of Romance of the Three Kingdoms in a modern high school setting.
See also
- Eastern Wu family trees#Sun Ce
- List of people of the Three Kingdoms
- List of Dynasty Warriors characters
References
- ↑ (時得橋公兩女，皆國色也。策自納大橋，瑜納小橋。) Sanguozhi vol. 54.
- Chen Shou. Records of the Three Kingdoms (Sanguozhi).
- Luo Guanzhong. Romance of the Three Kingdoms (Sanguo Yanyi).