Xiao Bo

Xiao Bo holds a baccalaureate from Hubei University in 2000. He works as secretary of the president in Henan Xinfei Electric Co.,Ltd. His interests are Chinese literature and holds the master degree from Wuhan University in 2005. He become an Associate Professor after graduation, and hope to get the doctor degree in 2010.

The topic of my Ph.D. project will be a Trace of the Beauties and the Spreading History of the Top Four Beauties in Ancient China. There are four top beauties in ancient China, Xi Shi, Wang Zhaojun, Diao Chan and Yang Yuhuan. All of them are strikingly good-looking, while none of them lead a happy and comfortable life. The later generations had diverse views about them and expressed their ideas in different ways, even the dominant views vary in different periods. To comb the images of the beauties could help to shed a light on the evolution of people’s aesthetic conceptions, social mentality and daily interests in different periods. It may also promote the historical, social, and psychological value of the beauty and the beauty culture. A combination of those research methods applied in Historical and cultural study, comparative study and receptionist study will be employed for this study.
People hold the complicated ideas about the beauty. The main ideas are as follow: First of all, beauties are the source of trouble. Beauties make use of their good-looking appearances to lure the emperor and make him neglect his court administration. As a result, world will be disordered and the country declines. Secondly, beauties are the heroines of the country. “He Qin” which means attempting to cement relation with rules of minority nationalities in the border areas by marrying daughters of the Han imperial family to them, was very popular in some of the dynasties. To a great extent, the women here are heroines of the country. Thirdly, beauties are the tools of the competition. Beauty trap is an important way in competition, no matter in military or business. The competitor ser a beauty trap and induce the rival to commit mistakes thus declined in the end. Viewing the beauties at this angle, they are just the tools. Fourthly, beautiful women inevitably suffer unhappy fates. The beautiful women are just tools or playthings of the ruling class. Beauties have no rights of their own. What’s more, they can’t control the fate of themselves. Undoubtedly, they will suffer a lot in the future. Fifthly, beauties are full of tenderness. Some of the lucky beauties could win the emperor’s true love and affections. This affections could move the follow generations deeply. Their love affairs will be praised far and wide. Last but not least, beauties usually feel pity for themselves. Beauties will lost their good-looking as time goes by, consequently, they are easily out of  favor. After then, they will lead a lonely and miserable life at the rest of their life. As a result, beauty turns into a symbol of casting aside.