The plot of "women dressed as men" in film and television dramas often causes the audience to laugh, and it is inevitable that the hair can be recognized by everyone as a woman. So, have there really been women in history who have successfully played the role of men?
Huang Chongga's story
There's really one. Her name was Huang Chongga, she was born in the third year (883) of Emperor Zhongzong of Tang and was a native of Linqiong, Sichuan. In the "Taiping Guangji", it is recorded that a fire broke out in Linqiong County, and Huang Chongga was suspected of setting fire and imprisoned. Feeling wronged, she wrote a poem and presented it to Zhou Ku, who was then zhizhou. The title of the poem is "Tribute poem to the prison":
Occasional words are hidden in Linqiao, and the line is stronger than Jian Song.
What is the government is as clear as a water mirror, tripping him wild crane in a deep cage.
This little poem is extremely well written. The "hidden" in the first sentence comes from the allusion of the "I Ching" "Walking on the Road Tantan, Youren Zhenji", which means: those who walk the Tao Tantan, easy and not dangerous; Yuren Zhenji, that is, there is no danger. Therefore, those who are in seclusion, keep the righteousness and get lucky.
The whole poem is to the effect that I, a reclusive person, have high moral character, why is your politics as pure as water, but you still put me in a "wild crane" in a "deep cage"?
Throughout the poem, she proudly shows her own purity and compliments Zhou Ku in a timely manner, but she does not mention a word of what kind of grievances she has suffered, nor does she express the resentment in her heart.
So proud and so bold! Fortunately, Zhou Kuo was a person who loved talent and cherished talent, and when he saw this poem, he re-examined the case and released Huang Chonggao. Not only that, but soon after, Zhou Ku summoned her at the academy, asked her to study with her children and nephews, and recommended her to join the army on behalf of Sihu (Prefecture Eight Pin Officers).
At this time, Zhou Ku did not recognize Huang Chonggao as a woman, otherwise he would not have recommended her to join the army as a sihu.
Huang Chongga took office for one year and made outstanding achievements. Zhou Yu was overjoyed to see that Huang Chongga had both talent and ability, and wanted to marry his daughter to Huang Chongga. Huang Chonggao received the news and wrote a poem "Ci Shu Xiang Wife and Daughter":
A word to pick up the green river, poor and well-groomed but full of poetry.
Self-service blue shirt in the rafters, forever throwing luan mirror painting moth eyebrows.
Standing zhuo er qingsong exercise, quite ambitious white posture.
If the shogunate is a tamboy, may the speed of heaven change into a boy.
May Tiansu change into a boy, Huang Chonggao's helplessness made Zhou Yu frightened. Turns out she was a woman? Knowing the truth, Zhou Ku obeyed Huang Chonggao's wishes and let her return to Sichuan.
The story of the "Female Champion"
In fact, Huang Chonggao should be a tribute to the township, but since the Yuan ming, Huang Chonggao's story has begun to be adapted. The two factors of "township tribute and raising people" and "beggars and concubines" contained in the main history gradually evolved into the more dramatic impact of "Zhongzhuangyuan" and "Emperor Recruiting Horses", and became the two most important basic plots of similar themes in later generations.
However, in ancient times, women dressed as men and sought fame and fame were not generally accepted. Huang Chonggao's deeds are regarded as a demon in the Taiping Guangji and are listed under the "Human Demon" volume.
Lang Ying of the Ming Dynasty accused Huang Chongga of having "three unclean" in the "Seven Revision Drafts": "False poetry for men, one is not clean." Serve as an official, circumvent among men, and two unclean also. Things are revealed and cannot be told, and poetry is repeated, and the three impurities are also. What is the practice of green pine and white bi? ”
Later, the "female Champion" theme of the opera adaptation, for Huang Chonggao", "women dressed as men" found a lot of reasons similar to to saving relatives, or running away from marriage. After such a dress change, the plots such as Zhongzhuangyuan and the recruitment of horses are not out of the subjective will of the woman, but are passive. This setting dilutes the confinement of traditional concepts and allows women to show their abilities.
The most famous is the sentence "In order to save Li Lang from home, who expected the emperor to be in the list of champions", that is, to illustrate the strength of the "female champions", but also weakened the "unclean heart" of women seeking merit.
Think about it carefully, if it were not for Zhou Yu's desire to marry her daughter to Huang Chonggao, it is estimated that she could continue to "dress as a man", and maybe she could be promoted in the future?
That's really a female leader.