1. Cai Yan spent part of her life as the concubine of a powerful Xiongnu leader until 207, when the warlord Cao Cao, who controlled the Han central government in the final years of the Eastern Han dynasty, paid a heavy ransom to bring her back to Han territory.
Cai Yan was a daughter of Cai Yong, a famous Eastern Han dynasty scholar from Yu County, Chenliu Commandery, which is around present-day Qi County, Kaifeng, Henan.
Cai Yan was married to Wei Zhongdao in 192 but her husband died shortly after their marriage and they did not have any children.
However, when Dong Si committed a capital crime later, Cai Yan pleaded with Cao Cao for her husband's acquittal.
Cai Yan asked him if he could provide her with yet another husband.
Cai Yan briefly appears in chapter 71 of the novel, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, a historical novel of 14th century which romanticizes events prior to and during the Three Kingdoms period of China.
Cai Yan pointed out that her father wrote it after hearing a specific tale.
Cai Yan's poems were noted for their sorrowful tone, which paralleled her hard life.
Cai Yan Wenji inherited some 4,000 volumes of ancient books from her father's vast collection.
At Cao Cao's request, Cai Yan recited 400 of them from memory and wrote them on paper.
The stories of Cai Yan reverberate primarily with feelings of sorrow, and inspired later artists to keep portraying her past.
In 1976, a crater on Mercury was named Ts'ai Wen-Chi after Cai Yan Wenji, citing her as "Chinese poet and composer".
Cai Yan Wenji appears as a playable character in Koei's Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce 2 and Dynasty Warriors 7.
Cai Yan appears in Koei's Romance of the Three Kingdoms video game series and in Dynasty Warriors 6: Empires as a non-playable character.
Cai Yan is a playable character in Warriors Orochi 3 and Warriors Orochi 4.
Cai Yan's fighting style relies on casting energy balls and shock waves by strumming her harp.