It has been so long since I last wrote on this blog. In this span of four years (or more), so much has changed in my personal life. I have attended and graduated from university, found a job, and found a lot of topics that interest me other than history. Yup, history is still fascinating. But I have gained a new outlook on things. Citations, for one. I noticed how my previous posts contained no citations at all. Citations are everything in university. My supervisors would flip if I were to hand in a dissertation full of allegations and with absolutely no citations at all.
But I digress. Enough about me and my personal life. Time to end the 'Four Beauties' series with Diao Chan, the only one who is purely fictional.
(On that note, a reader asked in a comment if Xi Shi is fictional. I will look into that. Anyway, a lot of Chinese history is so mixed up with myths and folklore it sometimes is hard to distinguish fact from fiction. I promise to be more careful on that point in the future, and include references and disclaimers when necessary)
Also, before I begin, a shoutout to fellow blogger and friend Hanfugirl who is the impetus behind this post. She runs a lovely blog centred around 'Hanfu', i.e. Han Chinese traditional dress, and I cannot recommend it enough! Check it out.