The poem says the beauty of the ages

Author: Chen Hejin / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-05-01
Features: Daji – The New Empress of the Hundred-Foot Spinning Terrace. According to the Shiji (Records of the Grand Historian)’s Suoyi (Supplementary Notes), Jī was a surname, and Daji was her given name. She was a beauty from the You Su clan. The You Su clan offered her to King Zhou of Shang. King Zhou was the last king of the Shang dynasty, originally named Xin, who became known as Emperor Xin after ascending the throne. However, the people of the world did not call him Emperor Xin but referred to him as Zhou. According to ancient beliefs, "one who violates righteousness and harms goodness is called Zhou." Emperor Xin was indeed a "person who violates righteousness and harms goodness." Later generations did not call him Emperor but merely referred to him as King Zhou. For thousands of years, people knew of King Zhou of Shang but were less familiar with Emperor Xin. This King Zhou was tall and immensely strong, capable of fighting wild beasts with his bare hands. He was also eloquent and wise, "sufficiently knowledgeable to reject advice and eloquent enough to excuse his faults." He loved wine, debauchery, and the pleasures of women. After obtaining Daji, he listened to her words alone. He followed her wishes, ordering Shi Juan to compose new lewd music and dances like the "Northern Village Dance" and the "Melancholy Music." He levied heavy taxes, built a tall and large palace called the Deer Terrace, and constructed a long and wide bridge. He gathered dogs, horses, and rare treasures in the palace, expanded the gardens of Shaqiu, collected rare birds and strange beasts, and even built wine pools and meat forests where over three thousand people could feast. He also forced young men and women to strip naked and indulge in debauchery, partying all night. It is said that Daji feared she would lose her freedom to indulge in pleasure if she became pregnant, so she had King Zhou carve open the bellies of pregnant women to find a way to abort.
To suppress those who opposed their extravagance and debauchery, Daji and King Zhou devised some cruel punishments. The most brutal was the "Bao Luo" (Baked-Brick Punishment). What was the "Bao Luo"? There are two theories. One is that: greased bronze pillars were placed over hot coals, and those deemed guilty were forced to walk on them. Walking barefoot on a slippery, greasy pillar—how could one stand steady? One misstep, and they would fall into the coals below. The people would jump in agony on the coals, while Daji and King Zhou laughed heartily. Another theory is that: Daji saw ants clinging to a bronze ironing board, which caused the ants to roast to death. So, she had a large bronze ironing board made, with red-hot coals burning in the center, forcing "criminals" to walk around it. Their feet would immediately start smoking and sizzling.
As King Zhou grew more tyrannical and licentious, some ministers fled, others feigned madness, some were imprisoned, and others were killed. The loyal minister Bi Gan had his belly and heart removed. The feudal lords from all over the land rebelled. Eventually, King Wu of Zhou led the feudal lords to attack King Zhou and defeated his army at Muwei (now southern Qi County, Henan). King Zhou fled to the Deer Terrace, put on his jade robe, and burned himself to death. Daji was also ordered to be executed by King Wu. It is said that because Daji was so beautiful, the executioner could not bear to strike her. After several replacements failed, they finally covered her face and head before the executioner could behead her with one strike.
Few poems were written about Daji by previous generations, perhaps because it was difficult to compose verses about this national calamity. In his poem "Zhang Lihua" (A Poem on Zhang Lihua), the Qing Dynasty poet Yuan Mei commented on Daji and Bao Si from a different perspective:
At the edge of the Jieqi Pavilion, flowers lament spring;
By the green stream, the moon grieves for the soul.
Poor Bao and Daji met noble men,
Both were from the Zhou Nan tales.
These beauties—Daji, Bao Si, and Zhang Lihua—could have become virtuous consorts had they met a good emperor. The Book of Songs’ Zhou Nan was traditionally interpreted as praising the virtues of the king and his consorts. In Volume 5, Article 47 of his Supplementary Notes to the Shuyuan Poetic Records, Yuan Mei quoted Shao Wuyang’s poem "Daji" from Miscellaneous Poems on the Imperial Harem and Paintings:
The hundred-foot spire, favored by the emperor,
A rooster does not need to complain about the dawn.
In the palace, do they love the song of "Jiu Mu"?
Did they once promise to bring beauty to the court?
The spire mentioned in the poem refers to the Deer Terrace. "A rooster crowing at dawn" is a metaphor for women holding power. "Jiu Mu" is a poem in the Zhou Nan section of the Book of Songs, traditionally interpreted as meaning that the queen and consorts could tolerate women of lower status in the palace without jealousy.
King Zhou had the feudal lord Ji Chang (later known as King Wen of Zhou) imprisoned in Gao. After Ji Chang’s subordinates, such as Bian Yan and Shen Xing, offered beauty, treasures, and fine horses to King Zhou, he released Ji Chang. Upon his release, Ji Chang offered the lands west of the Luo River, including Dan and Fang states, to King Zhou, asking him to abolish the Bao Luo punishment. King Zhou agreed to Ji Chang’s request and enfeoffed him as the Western Marquis. The Western Marquis practiced virtue and kindness, and many feudal lords rebelled against King Zhou to join him, making the Western Marquis increasingly powerful. After his death, his son Ji Fa (later known as King Wu of Zhou) finally destroyed the Shang dynasty.
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