The Four Great Beauties, and the Arts of the Courtesans in Ancient China

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Court Ladies of the Tang Dynasty 706 CE.

The Four Great Beauties, and the Arts of the Courtesans in Ancient China

The Four Great Beauties are four ancient Chinese women renowned for their beauty which they skillfully exercised to influence Chinese history. Although each of the Four Great Beauties frequently appear as the subjects or objects of arts, one seldom learns much of them beyond their names, descriptions of their looks and brief mentions of their skills. This is common in ancient Chinese works related to female performers, or courtesans.

Chinese opera at night in XiTang, ancient city in China.

Chinese opera at night in XiTang, ancient city in China. (Flickr/CC BY 2.0)

In their legends, the Four Great Beauties were, in fact, heavily implied as courtesans themselves. Their legends illustrate applications of the early Chinese education utilized and perfected by the ancient courtesans of China, which was then preserved by Confucius as part of his philosophy.


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