Lady Xian
She upheld stability in Lingnan through three dynasties, Liang, Chen and Sui, and was enfeoffed by Sui as Lady of Qiao State.
Life
Chieftain of the Li people
Lady Xian was the daughter of the chief of the Li people of Gaoliang. Wise from childhood and skilled in warfare, she could keep her own people in line and unite neighboring tribes. She married Feng Bao, Prefect of Gaoliang, and thereafter the couple governed Lingnan together.
Served under three dynasties
During the Hou Jing Rebellion at the end of Liang, she saw through the plot of the rebel general Li Qianshi and helped Chen Baxian suppress the revolt. Under the Chen dynasty she also put down the rebellion of Ouyang He, protecting the borders and the people.
Lady of Qiao State
In 589 Chen fell, and the tribes of Lingnan chose her as their leader; she led them to submit to the Sui dynasty. In 590, when Wang Zhongxuan rebelled at Panyu, she sent her grandson Feng Ang with troops to crush the revolt, and in person, clad in armor, escorted the Sui envoy on a tour of the prefectures until Lingnan was entirely pacified. Emperor Wen of Sui enfeoffed her as Lady of Qiao State. She died in 602.
Legacy
Lady Xian spent her life upholding national unification and the stability of Lingnan, and later generations revered her as a heroine; to this day many places in Guangdong and Hainan have temples dedicated to her.
Major works & achievements
- Preserved the unity and stability of Lingnan
Did you know? She lived to about ninety and lived through three dynasties: the Liang, the Chen and the Sui.
Key dates
- 535Married Feng Bao (approx.)
- 550Helped Chen Baxian defeat Li Qianshi
- 589Led Lingnan to submit to the Sui
- 590Put down Wang Zhongxuan's rebellion, enfeoffed as Lady of Qiao State
- 602Died