Xiaoyanzi

Xiaoyanzi (Chinese: 小燕子; pinyin: Xiǎoyànzi; literally: "little swallow") is a fictional character from the popular Chinese series My Fair Princess. In the series, the character was portrayed by Zhao Wei in 1998-1999 and Huang Yi in 2003.

Story

The character Xiaoyanzi is first introduced as an 18-year-old who roams the city with her friends, Liu Qing and Liu Hong. Having been orphaned at a young age, Xiaoyanzi is an independent thinker and knows little about rules and regulations. She earns money using jianghu ways, and is not unwilling to steal in order to survive. Although mischievous, Xiaoyanzi helps others in need regardless of the circumstances.

Xiaoyanzi's entire existence is altered when she meets Xia Ziwei. The night before their first meeting, Xiaoyanzi had agreed to switch places with a bride who was to marry into the Liang household. The bride was extremely unwilling and planned on committing suicide, but Xiaoyanzi arranged for her to escape. Ziwei happened to be at the wedding as well, for different reasons. When Ziwei helps Xiaoyanzi hide from guards, the two begin to admire each other. They meet again at one of Xiaoyanzi's performances. Through several other meetings, Ziwei agrees to live with Xiaoyanzi. The two become sworn sisters.

As sworn sisters, Ziwei reveals her most important secrets to Xiaoyanzi, including her background (that she is the emperor's illegitimate child). Xiaoyanzi is shocked to find out that she is sisters with a princess, or ge ge. However, she vows to help Ziwei find her father. The two decide to intrude on one of Qianlong's hunting trips on a local mountain. However, the feeble Ziwei cannot climb the mountain, so she sends Xiaoyanzi as her messenger. There, Yongqi, the fifth prince, accidentally shoots her with an arrow. Through a series of misunderstandings, Qianlong mistakenly names Xiaoyanzi his daughter, rather than Ziwei. A confused Xiaoyanzi, unaware of the punishments for lying to an emperor, is proclaimed Huan Zhu Ge Ge. Qianlong dotes on Xiaoyanzi greatly, making it more difficult for Xiaoyanzi to admit the truth.

Xiaoyanzi lives an equally adventurous life inside the palace, where she meets her lover, Yongqi, as well as friends Ertai and Erkang. She also becomes rivals with the Empress, Huang Hou, who is jealous when Xiaoyanzi receives so much attention from Qianlong. After discovering the enormosity of her mistakes, she vows to return the title of princess to Ziwei, but is still too afraid to tell the truth. Tension grows as Xiaoyanzi struggles to adapt to life in the Forbidden City, violating the rules several times. Additionally, her guilt about stealing Ziwei's title becomes unbearable, to the point where she unsuccessfully attempts to escape from the Forbidden City. Xiaoyanzi later learns that Ziwei is living in the Fu household. She temporarily disguises herself as an eunuch and leaves the Forbidden City to visit Ziwei. Although Ziwei forgives her for taking her title, Xiaoyanzi still intends to return Qianlong to Ziwei.

Relationship with Yongqi

A fictional romance blossoms between Yongqi, the fifth prince, and Xiaoyanzi in Season 1. Yongqi quickly develops feelings for Xiaoyanzi shortly after meeting her, but Xiaoyanzi's tomboy attitude, along with her false title, causes her to only think of him as a brother. However, after Yongqi learns Xiaoyanzi is not his biological sister, he shares his feelings with her. Xiaoyanzi becomes confused, unsure of how she feels about Yongqi. At first, she tries to have him marry a girl that was planning to get married with a random ball throw catch arrangement, but he refuses but, after a girl named Cailian falls for Yongqi, Xiaoyanzi becomes extremely jealous. She refuses to eat or speak in Yongqi's presence. Irritated, Yongqi calls Xiaoyanzi a girl with no virtue. Xiaoyanzi's anger causes her to act recklessly. When she falls off a horse, Yongqi soon feels sorry about the incident and kisses her. Xiaoyanzi forgives Yongqi after she realizes she is truly in love with him. The challenge between them is their supposed brother-sister relationship. This causes the group to reveal that Xiaoyanzi is not Qianlong's daughter. Although Qianlong is initially angry, he soon forgives them.

In Part II of the series, they are arranged to be married with a lot love. Throughout the series, they go through many fights, but make up. Many times, they have also feuded about Yongqi being unable to accept her commoner ways because he's a prince and of biological royalty. Yongqi and Xiaoyanzi are very stubborn towards each other when they argue because both refuse to be wrong, but Yongqi usually winds up being the first to cave. Many times, he's there to catch her in both a literal sense and expression. When they run away from the Forbidden City, Yongqi gets jealous with Xiaoyanzi's close relationship with Xiao Jian, before it was revealed that he was her brother. In the end of Part II, they get married.

In history, Yongqi never had a serious romance. Their love story is purely fictional.

Unknown Past

Xiaoyanzi's past is never known for certain. In Season 2, she meets Xiao Jian, a man who claims to be her older brother. However, this is merely based on the account of a nun who raised Xiaoyanzi during her childhood. If Xiaoyanzi is truly Xiao Jian's younger sister, then her birth name was Fang Ci. When Xiaoyanzi was but a baby, her father was beheaded at the order of Qianlong for writing a poem that offended the Qing Dynasty. Her mother died shortly after, committing suicide. Xiaoyanzi's other family members were beheaded as well, but Xiao Jian and Xiaoyanzi managed to escape. Xiaoyanzi was sent north, in Beijing, and Xiao Jian sent to the south, in Dali. This is ironic as Xiaoyanzi later became Qianlong's adopted daughter. Tension grows because of this situation.

In the third installment of the series, it is confirmed that Xiaoyanzi is indeed Xiao Jian's sister. After the turmoils of the third installment, Xiaoyanzi and Xiao Jian, along with Yongqi, Ziwei, Erkang and Qing'er go to Dali, where they meet Xiao Jian's foster parents. Xiao Jian's foster parents reveal that Fang Ci has a birthmark on her body, but at first they are reluctant to say out loud where the birthmark really is. Eventually, much to Xiaoyanzi's embarrassment and everyone else' amusement, they tell Xiaoyanzi that if she is the real Fang Ci, she would have a mole on her buttock. In the scene after this, Yongqi pulls Xiao Jian aside to confirm this fact, albeit with much amusement at Xiaoyanzi's expense.