Zhou Yu
On Hearing Her Play the Harp
Answers to Discussion Questions: 1. Given the situation, one can imagine a beautiful woman with her golden-fretted harp in her splendid clothes probably called a Hanfu (漢服) which was the term used to describe the clothes of women during the Han Dynasty. The room was like a typical rich-owned house in Chinese TV shows that the present age can watch today. The atmosphere was a bit low and the room was full of red furniture and fixtures. There were beautifully carved lions and dragons around the room especially on poles supporting the whole building. Everything was nicely decorated. There were different antiques displayed, porcelain vases, silk banner from Hunan province, and some ceramic jars. The ceiling was carefully designed reflecting the glory of their ancestors while showing probably prosperity and the like. The artistically made sliding door is opened wherein the musician can see her husband. 2. Zhou Yu was a famous general of Wu of the Three Kingdoms of China 1700 years ago. He was a famous militarist and strategist at that time and assisted Sun Ce. He assisted Sun Quan in managing overall military and political affairs while Zhang Zao managed the domestic affairs. The famous Battle of Red Cliffs followed wherein Zhou Yu was the supreme commander of the force in order to defeat Cao Cao. Given the general position, Zhou Yu fought against Cao Cao’s army and won the victory over it. Women would find naturally him a desirable person because Zhou Yu was not only a handsome, intelligent, and talented person but also a broad-minded generous and accomplished man. It was said that he could even identify a mistake in musical notes even when he was drunk. 3. There were two Qiaos during that time, who were considered as the two of the great beauties of ancient China. The one was called Da Qiao who was married to Sun Ce, while the other one was called Xiao Qiao who was married to Zhou Yu. She was the musician who played the
Answers to Discussion Questions: 1. Given the situation, one can imagine a beautiful woman with her golden-fretted harp in her splendid clothes probably called a Hanfu (漢服) which was the term used to describe the clothes of women during the Han Dynasty. The room was like a typical rich-owned house in Chinese TV shows that the present age can watch today. The atmosphere was a bit low and the room was full of red furniture and fixtures. There were beautifully carved lions and dragons around the room especially on poles supporting the whole building. Everything was nicely decorated. There were different antiques displayed, porcelain vases, silk banner from Hunan province, and some ceramic jars. The ceiling was carefully designed reflecting the glory of their ancestors while showing probably prosperity and the like. The artistically made sliding door is opened wherein the musician can see her husband. 2. Zhou Yu was a famous general of Wu of the Three Kingdoms of China 1700 years ago. He was a famous militarist and strategist at that time and assisted Sun Ce. He assisted Sun Quan in managing overall military and political affairs while Zhang Zao managed the domestic affairs. The famous Battle of Red Cliffs followed wherein Zhou Yu was the supreme commander of the force in order to defeat Cao Cao. Given the general position, Zhou Yu fought against Cao Cao’s army and won the victory over it. Women would find naturally him a desirable person because Zhou Yu was not only a handsome, intelligent, and talented person but also a broad-minded generous and accomplished man. It was said that he could even identify a mistake in musical notes even when he was drunk. 3. There were two Qiaos during that time, who were considered as the two of the great beauties of ancient China. The one was called Da Qiao who was married to Sun Ce, while the other one was called Xiao Qiao who was married to Zhou Yu. She was the musician who played the
References: Anderson, D. (2011). HIS230 Three Kingdoms. Reflection and Analysis. Retrieved September 15, 2012 from https://sites.google.com/site/his230threekingdoms/reflection-analysis---history- and-culture Peirce, J. (2004). Kongming’s Archives. Qiao Sisters. Retrieved September 15, 2012 from http://kongming.net/novel/sgyy/daqiao.php (2010). Cultural China. Zhou Yu – General of Wu of the Three Kingdoms of China. Retrieved September 15, 2012 from http://history.cultural-china.com/en/47History355.html (2010). Cultural China. Zhou Yu – Famous Military Strategist During the Three Kingdoms Era. Retrieved September 15, 2012 from http://history.cultural-china.com/en/47History7903.html Word Count: 566/655