Xi Shi was born in Zhejiang during the Chun Qiu and Warring states period 2000 years ago. She is one of the Four Great Beauties of ancient China.
Xi Shi’s actual name is Shi Yiguang (施夷光). Her surname is actually ‘Shi’, not 'Xi',‘Xi’ meaning 'west’ in mandarin. As her village was located in the western part, and her fellow villagers mostly carried the surname of Shi, later people referred her as 'Xi Shi’. Her father was a firewood seller and her mother a washerwoman (literally from Mandarin, 'a gauze-washing lady’). Xishi often washed gauze too, by the river now known as Huan Sha river.
The story
When the state of Yue was vanquished by the state of Wu, the King of Yue, Gou Jian was forced to serve the Prince of Wu for three years. King Gou Jian commissioned men to search far and wide for a woman whom he could send as a tribute to Prince Fuchai of Wu. Xishi, whose beauty was much talked of even from early childhood, was selected for this task and sent to the capital.
Gou Jian ordered his minister Fan Li to take Xishi to the Prince of Wu as a tribute gift from Yue. During the journey, Xishi fell deeply in love with the wise minister. Fan Li also grew to admire this courageous lady who was willing to give her life for her country.
They arrived at the capital of Wu and the prince welcomed Xishi with open arms. He was enchanted by her appearance and doted on her. Gradually he began to neglect his political duties, preferring to idle away his time with Xishi.
Xishi, however, never lost sight of her mission. Her aim was to bewitch the Prince of Wu so that his subjects would grow restless and his friends would desert him. The political chaos that ensued would enable the King of Yue to invade the state of Wu, recompensing him for his former humiliation.
This story is unique in the history of feudal China as no one has ever found fault with Xishi, even though she had caused the downfall of the state of Wu.
The legend: “Xi was playing in the water and the fish were shamed by Xi’s beauty and chose to sink to the bottom.” which is where the 成语(idiom): 沉鱼落雁 came from.
Xi’s beauty must have been something extraordinary as stories of her have survived for 2,000 years. Even in modern day China any women will be flattered if their looks are compared to Xi.
Another interesting story!
A girl from a village in the East, known otherwise as 'Dong Shi’ ('Dong’ meaning east) tried to imitate her too. But Dong Shi was ugly by nature. And when she imitated Xishi, everyone was scared by her looks and ran away or shut their doors! A Chinese idiom 'Dong Shi Xiao Pin’ refers to this story, about how copying someone else wholly ends up with opposite effects.
(sources:theirhistory.blogspot, chinatown-online.com)