Consort Xiang (simplified: 湘妃, traditional: 湘妃, pinyin: Xiāng Fēi, jyutping: soeng1 fei1) was a legendary figure in Chinese tradition, one of the two consorts (二妃 — Èr Fēi) of the legendary Emperor Shun (舜). The two consorts, often called the “Xiang consorts” or “Xiang River consorts,” were said to have wept for Shun after his death; their tears stained bamboo along the Xiang River (湘江), giving rise to the “mottled bamboo” (斑竹 — bānzhú) or “consort bamboo” (湘妃竹 — Xiāngfēi zhú).
In tradition
The story of Consort Xiang (and her sister consort) is a classic tale of loyalty and grief. The Xiang River and the bamboo motif appear in poetry and literature, and the consorts are sometimes invoked in Sword of the Yue Maiden and other works set in or near the Chu–Yue region.
In Sword of the Yue Maiden
On the mountainside where Aqing herds her goats, Fan Li tells her the story of Consort Xiang of Chu and the mountain ghost.1
See also
- Xiang River — River associated with Consort Xiang
- Sword of the Yue Maiden characters