West Lake Chronicle - West Lake Series

Author: Wang Guoping
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-08-01
Features:
II. The famous courtesan Su Xiaoxiao had a small and distinctive pavilion by the Xiling Bridge, called the "Pavilion of Admiring Talent." Inside the pavilion was a hemispherical tomb, where lay a beautiful and talented young woman—Su Xiaoxiao—who had been sleeping for over 1,500 years. The story of Su Xiaoxiao first appeared in The New Song of Jade Terrace; The Broad Topics of Yuefu also recorded accounts of her. Su Xiaoxiao was a renowned courtesan during the Southern Qi Dynasty, born into a courtesan family, and it is said that one of the five-character poems attributed to her goes:
"I ride in an oil-barked carriage,
You ride on a blue horse.
Where shall we bind our hearts together?
Under the pines and cypresses by Xiling."
Whether Su Xiaoxiao was a real person or purely a fictional legendary figure is not something that needs to beed here; what is worth discussing, however, is the legend surrounding her—this young woman was so beautiful and enchanting that her image blended seamlessly with the picturesque West Lake and the ethereal Xiling, like a song so sorrowful and moving, a dream so captivating. Local historical records, legends, and plays have further adapted her story into various versions.
A short story collected in Remnants of the West Lake portrays Su Xiaoxiao as a vivid and luminous figure, highlighting her radiance. The courtesan in the story is extraordinarily beautiful, intelligent, and versatile. She refused to become a concubine in a wealthy family, preferring instead to be a standout among the courtesans, indulging in the beauty of the lake and mountains. Every day, she rode in her fragrant oil-barked carriage, exploring the West Lake.
A censor named Meng Lang, who passed through Qiantang, summoned Su Xiaoxiao three times, but she refused each time, deliberately provoking the censor. She engaged him with confidence and dignity, using her heavenly beauty and quick wit to conquer the arrogant and tyrannical official. Another story, almost magical, tells of how she recognized a hero in a poor scholar named Bao Ren. She met him on Stone House Mountain and immediately saw that he was no ordinary man, so she generously gave him money to support his journey to the capital for the imperial examination. These stories fully demonstrate her cleverness and talent.
The ending of Su Xiaoxiao’s story is particularly tragic and moving. She suddenly fell ill with a cold and could not recover. Jia Yi, who was very close to her, was deeply worried and urged her to take care, but Su Xiaoxiao treated death with the wisdom of a philosopher and looked beyond worldly concerns with a transcendent attitude. She believed that for a woman like her, who lived in the world of pleasure, it was better to die young and beautiful, still being pitied. In her view, death was a favor from heaven, the ideal way to preserve her beauty forever.
In the novel, Su Xiaoxiao is almost a spirit of poetry and beauty, an embodiment of love and freedom. Her understanding of death is not only profound in philosophy but also reflects the tragedy of Chinese women in that historical era. When Su Xiaoxiao died, Bao Ren was on his way to become the magistrate of Huai Prefecture, passing through Hangzhou. He had wanted to repay her for recognizing his talent, but to his surprise, the beautiful courtesan had already vanished. Grief-stricken, he held a grand funeral for her and chose a burial site near the Xiling Bridge.
There have been differing legends about the location of Su Xiaoxiao’s tomb. The burial site mentioned as being "near the Xiling Bridge" is based on Remnants of the West Lake.