Baoping, near the city of Yichang, Hubei province, is a charming little village that has been preserved in its original state in order to honor the memory of a woman who was born there and became famous for her beauty. Wang Zhaojun, styled Qiang, was selected into the court in the reign of the Yuan Emperor in the Western Han Dynasty. She volunteered to be a peace envoy through her marriage to Huhanye Chanyu (king of the Xiongnu in ancient China) and became Ninghu Yanshi (Yanshi, the legal wife of Xiongnu's King). [Photo/China.org.cn] |