28 Facts About Dong Xiaowan

Dong Xiaowan, known as Dong Bai, was a Chinese courtesan and poet, known by her pen name Qinglian.

Dong Xiaowan is one of the Eight Beauties of Qinhuai described by late Qing officials.

Dong Xiaowan was born in the "Dong's Embroidery Shop" in Suzhou City.

Dong Xiaowan was regarded as a treasure by her parents, who carefully taught her poetry, calligraphy, painting, needlework.

When Dong Xiaowan was thirteen, her father suffered from dysentery in the summer.

Lady Bai fell ill, so the fifteen-year-old Dong Xiaowan had to find a way to repay the family debt and raise medical expenses for her mother.

Dong Xiaowan, who was proficient in music, co-starred with Gu Hengbo, who played a young man, in "The Story of the Western Tower" and "Teach Son".

Mao Bijiang's "Recalling Words" wrote that Dong Xiaowan was tired of the hustle and bustle of Qinhuai and chose to move to Bantang.

Dong Xiaowan's mother was still lying in bed and needed to see a doctor and take medicine.

Some creditors heard that Dong Xiaowan had returned home and came to collect debts.

Dong Xiaowan was unable to cope with it, so she had to become a courtesan again in her own Shuangcheng Guan.

Dong Xiaowan loved the scenery of Suzhou, and later traveled to Huangshan Mountain, West Lake and Taihu Lake.

Dong Xiaowan's mother died in 1642, leaving her to struggle financially.

Dong Xiaowan's mother had been dead for two weeks and Dong was quite ill.

Dong Xiaowan proposed that she become his concubine and, refusing to take no for an answer, allegedly followed him for 27 days on his boat.

Dong Xiaowan then lived with Mao in Rugao as his concubine, alongside his wife Lady Su.

Dong Xiaowan has been described as an ideal dutiful, sacrificing and loyal wife and daughter-in-law during her marriage to Mao Bijiang, who as a loyalist of the Ming dynasty was persecuted after the Qing dynasty's rise to power in 1644.

When Mao, Lady Su and Dong Xiaowan were forced to flee their home in 1644, Dong Xiaowan abandoned her more valuable belongings to save her writings and paintings.

Dong Xiaowan burned incense through a veil and paid attention to the flavor and mood when tasting the incense.

When he was shivering with chills, Dong Xiaowan held her husband tightly in her arms.

Dong Xiaowan boiled medicine and boiled soup in the hot summer, and stayed by his pillow for 60 days and nights.

Dong Xiaowan hugged her husband every night, let him lean on her to sleep, and she slept sitting up for a full 100 days.

Dong Xiaowan wrote shi and was part of the new literati movement that focussed on emotions and the motif of the heartbroken lover.

Dong Xiaowan wrote a collection of poems titled "Eleven Poems in Regular Script on Autumn Boudoir Fans".

Dong Xiaowan was proficient at painting and left behind some artistic works.

Dong Xiaowan is a chef, she is listed among the "Top Ten Famous Chefs in Ancient China" and "Six Beautiful Chefs in Ancient China".

Dong Xiaowan made a kind of crispy candy with fine white sugar, shelled sesame, pure maltose and other flour, and asked someone to bring it from Qinhuai to Mao Bijiang to express her deep affection.

Dong Xiaowan's life was adapted for film by Cantonese opera playwright Tang Ti-sheng, with Fong Yim Fun portraying Dong Xiaowan.