Bao Si

Bao Si (Chinese: 褒姒; pinyin: Bāo Sì; Wade–Giles: Pao Ssu) was a concubine then consort of King You of Zhou. She was considered one of the most beautiful women of the ancient era.

Life

Legends record that during the last years of the Xia dynasty, two dragons entered the palace of the king. Upon leaving, the king ordered that the dragons' saliva be kept in a wooden box. During the reign of King Li of Zhou, he tried to open the box despite a taboo against such an act. The saliva accidentally spilled, transforming into a black lizard. The lizard crawled in front of a seven-year-old slave girl. Eight years later, she became pregnant while still a virgin, and gave birth to a girl. The mother abandoned the baby, who was later adopted by a couple who traveled to the State of Bao and raised her to adulthood. She was later presented by the ruler of Bao to King You.¹

In 779 BC, Bao Si entered the palace and came into King You's favour. They had a son named Bofu.² King You decided to depose Queen Shen and her son, Crown Prince Yijiu, and replace them with Bao Si and Bofu.

Bao Si was of a melancholic disposition, so King You offered a thousand ounces of gold to anyone who could make her laugh. Someone at the court suggested lighting the warning beacons on Mount Li, usually used to summon armies from the surrounding vassal states in times of danger. The nobles duly arrived at the court only to find themselves laughed at by Bao Si.³ Even after King You had impressed Bao Si, he continued to abuse his use of the warning beacons and so lost the trust of the nobles.