The historical tales from the Three Kingdoms era are widely known by many. Besides the legendary heroes, the famous beauty “Diao Chan” also carries a rich and captivating story. Her narrative has often been adapted into films and television series, allowing modern audiences to glimpse the charm of ancient beauties. Recently, a Chinese history column discussed which actress most closely resembles Diao Chan after a digital facial reconstruction, highlighting veteran actress Pan Yingzi as the closest match.
▲ Actress Pan Yingzi in a still from a drama. (Image / sourced from encyclopedia entry)
Diao Chan appeared during the Three Kingdoms period. In the classic novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, she is portrayed as the maidservant of the Chancellor Wang Yun, later adopted as his foster daughter. She is described as stunningly beautiful and only sixteen years old, with a strong patriotic spirit. Knowing Wang Yun’s helplessness against Dong Zhuo’s tyranny, she offered herself as a tool to counter the corrupt warlord. Using the famed beauty trap, Diao Chan won the favor of both Dong Zhuo and Lü Bu, who were once as close as father and son. Her strategy created distrust between them, eventually leading Lü Bu to ally with Wang Yun and successfully assassinate Dong Zhuo.
After Lü Bu fled Chang’an, the novel seldom mentions Diao Chan again. However, in chapter sixteen, when Lü Bu’s wives are introduced, it is noted that Lü Bu later took Diao Chan as a concubine and that she bore no children.
In chapter nineteen, during Lü Bu’s battle with Cao Cao, Lü Bu’s adviser Chen Gong suggests sending a light force to attack Cao’s supply lines. Lü Bu hesitates and consults his wives. Diao Chan advises him not to risk himself by leaving the city. Following her counsel, Lü Bu decided to defend the fortress stubbornly, spending his days and nights drinking with his wives Yan Shi and Diao Chan to ease his worries. This led to declining morale and desertion among his generals, eventually causing Lü Bu’s defeat at the hands of Cao Cao. After this, Diao Chan disappears from the narrative in Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
Folk dramas often expand on Diao Chan’s story and frequently involve the legendary general Guan Yu. In the play Guan Yu Releases Diao Chan Under the Moonlight, Diao Chan is freed by Guan Yu and her fate becomes unknown. Another folk drama, Guan Yu Beheads Diao Chan While Masked, draws inspiration from the tale of Jiang Ziya’s execution of Daji, warning of the dangers posed by femme fatales. It depicts Guan Yu fearing Diao Chan’s beauty could bring chaos to the realm. In the Ming dynasty drama Guan Yu and Diao Chan, she even becomes Guan Yu’s concubine.
In the famous historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which blends historical records and folklore, Diao Chan’s image is well-known and deeply ingrained in popular culture. However, official historical texts only record that Lü Bu was intimate with Dong Zhuo’s maidservant, without mentioning her name.
According to the Records of the Three Kingdoms (Sanguozhi), in Lü Bu’s biography, it states: “Dong Zhuo often assigned Lü Bu to guard the central pavilion. Lü Bu secretly had relations with Dong Zhuo’s maidservant. Fearful of being discovered, he was uneasy.” Yet, no name for the maidservant is recorded in the historical texts.
The Qing dynasty scholar Ping Buqing, in his research on drama in Xiao Qixia Shuo Bai, references the Tang dynasty text Kaiyuan Divination, volume 33, which mentions:
“Mercury troubles Xu Nü. The annotation says: ‘According to the Han Shu Tong Zhi, before Cao Cao gained power, he first lured Dong Zhuo by presenting Diao Chan to confuse his lord.’”
Another Qing dynasty writer, Liang Zhangju, in his anecdotal novel Lang Ji Xu Tan, also quotes Han Shu Tong Zhi recording:
“Before Cao Cao rose, he first enticed Dong Zhuo by offering Diao Chan to ensnare his master.”
Diao Chan’s original surname was Ren, and she was Lü Bu’s wife. However, due to the constant power shifts and political turmoil of the period, she changed hands multiple times and lived a tumultuous life, spawning numerous legends. Because the Three Kingdoms period was so long ago, the question of what she truly looked like remains a historical mystery.
In modern times, Chinese historians have attempted to digitally reconstruct her appearance using advanced technology. They concluded that the actress Pan Yingzi, who starred as Diao Chan in a 1988 TV drama, most closely resembles her. Pan’s appearance, demeanor, and gaze echo the image people imagine for Diao Chan, making her portrayal a lasting symbol of the character.
▲ Historical portrait of Diao Chan. (Image / sourced from encyclopedia entry)
Today, 73-year-old Pan Yingzi is a celebrated figure across Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, having starred in many films and TV dramas. Besides Diao Chan, her earliest work was in the 1960s film The Butterfly Lovers. She is also well-known for roles in The Return of the Condor Heroes and The Empress of China. Her most recent public performance was the 2019 stage play The Last Love Letter.
Reference: Records of the Three Kingdoms (Sanguozhi)
