Shangguan Hong (simplified: 上官虹, traditional: 上官虹, pinyin: Shàngguān Hóng, jyutping: soeng6 gun1 hung4), known as the Three Lady of the Gold and Silver Swords (金银小剑三娘子, Jīnyín Xiǎo Jiàn Sānniángzi), was a skilled martial artist and the wife of Li San the White Horse in White Horse Neighing in the West Wind. She was the mother of Li Wenxiu and was killed after avenging her husband’s death by killing her former fellow disciple Shi Zhongjun.
Biography
Early life and martial arts training
Shangguan Hong was a martial arts disciple who trained alongside Shi Zhongjun under the same master since childhood. The two were fellow disciples, and their master had hoped to match them together. Their fellow disciples also expected them to marry, and Shi Zhongjun had developed deep feelings for her.
However, Shangguan Hong met Li San the White Horse and fell in love with him instead. Despite her family’s objections and her master’s intentions, she chose to run away with Li San, leaving behind her family and martial arts school.
Life with Li San
Shangguan Hong and Li San built a life together, and they had a daughter, Li Wenxiu. Their relationship was characterised by mutual respect and deep affection. Shangguan Hong was devoted to her husband, never refusing any request he made, and Li San treated her with great respect.
Their life together, while happy, was marked by the constant threat from those who sought the Gaochang Maze map that they possessed.
The final pursuit
The Three Heroes of Lüliang, led by Huo Yuanlong (the Divine Sabre Shakes Guanxi), along with Shi Zhongjun (the Plum Blossom Spear) and Chen Dahai (the Green Python Sword), pursued Li San and Shangguan Hong from the Gansu-Liangzhou road (甘凉道) all the way to the Western Regions (回疆).
Husband’s death and revenge
During the final confrontation in the Gobi Desert, Li San was killed by the bandits. After his death, Shangguan Hong, knowing that capture was inevitable, made a calculated decision: she would seek revenge and then join her husband in death.
Shangguan Hong hid two daggers in her clothing—one pointing outward and one pointing inward. She then pretended to be receptive to Shi Zhongjun’s advances, causing him to believe that she finally reciprocated his feelings. When he embraced her, she stabbed him in the abdomen with one dagger while stabbing herself in the chest with the other, killing them both.
Final moments
Before her death, Shangguan Hong had time to entrust the Gaochang Maze map to her seven-year-old daughter in the form of a woollen handkerchief. She sent Li Wenxiu away on the white horse, knowing that her daughter’s safety was more important than her own life.
Personality and traits
Devoted and determined
Shangguan Hong’s devotion to her husband was absolute. She never refused any request he made, and her decision to join him in death after avenging him demonstrated the depth of her commitment.
Intelligent and resourceful
Her method of revenge—using hidden daggers to kill Shi Zhongjun while ensuring her own death—demonstrated her intelligence and resourcefulness. She understood that capture was inevitable and chose to die on her own terms while achieving her goal of revenge.
Protective mother
Even in her final moments, her primary concern was for her daughter’s safety. Her decision to send Li Wenxiu away and to entrust her with the map showed her protective instincts and her willingness to sacrifice everything for her child.
Martial arts abilities
Gold and Silver Small Swords
Shangguan Hong was known as the Three Lady of the Gold and Silver Swords for her mastery of dual daggers—one with a gold handle and one with a silver handle. Her technique with these weapons was skilled enough to enable her to kill Shi Zhongjun, a formidable martial artist, even as she was dying.
Relationships
Family
- Li San — Her husband, the White Horse, whom she loved and for whom she sought revenge
- Li Wenxiu — Her daughter, whom she protected in her final moments
Martial family
- Shi Zhongjun — Her former fellow disciple, who had loved her but whom she rejected for Li San, and whom she killed in revenge
Adversaries
- Three Heroes of Lüliang — The bandits who pursued and killed her husband
- Huo Yuanlong — The leader of the Three Heroes
- Chen Dahai — One of the Three Heroes
Behind the scenes
Shangguan Hong’s character represents the strength and determination of women in the jianghu, as well as the lengths to which people will go for love and revenge. Her death, while tragic, is also heroic, as she chooses to die on her own terms while achieving her goals.
Her relationship with Li San represents one of the few successful love stories in the novella, contrasting with the numerous unrequited love stories that dominate the text. Their mutual devotion serves as a model of partnership that is rare in the narrative.
Her character also serves to illustrate the complex relationships that exist within martial arts families, where personal feelings can conflict with familial and social expectations.
Portrayals
Shangguan Hong has been portrayed in various adaptations of White Horse Neighing in the West Wind.
See also
- White Horse Neighing in the West Wind characters
- Li San — Shangguan Hong’s husband
- Li Wenxiu — Shangguan Hong’s daughter
- Shi Zhongjun — Shangguan Hong’s former fellow disciple, whom she killed
- Three Heroes of Lüliang — The bandits who killed her husband
- White Horse Neighing in the West Wind