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Editor:<a data-internal-link="true" href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/figures-stories/guo-ziyi-deterring-the-enemy-without-armour/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> General Guo Ziyi deterring the mighty enemy</a> has been a famous event in ancient China around mid-8th century. Deciphering this story scene on Chinese porcelain plates and tiles, however, has not been straightforward and has taken iconography specialists decades to decode. Congratulations to Dr <a data-internal-link="true" href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/about-us/dr-yibin-ni/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Yibin Ni </a>who is the first scholar who identified this image on Chinese porcelain. Here is what Dr Ni has to say about this legendary story.
image above: porcelain dish with overglaze enamelled decoration (detail), Kangxi period (1662–1722), Qing dynasty, courtesy of the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
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Guo Ziyi (郭子仪 697–781), posthumously bestowed the title Prince Zhongwu of Fenyang (汾阳忠武王) because of his birth place and his contribution to the court, was the greatest Tang-dynasty general. He played the key role in military campaigns against the Uyghur Khaganate and Tibetan Empire, enemies constantly threatening China from the north-west. After Guo Ziyi and his army successfully stabilised the frontier for years, the rumour about the death of the elderly hero disquieted the enemy around the year 765. The Turfan and the Uyghur tribes joined together, trying to invade the Central Plains (中原). The veteran Guo Ziyi had to be summoned again by the court to deal with the tough situation. What’s worse, he was given only a small army of ten thousand soldiers to confront a combined force of three hundred thousand.
Under the circumstances, Guo Ziyi staged a genius scene. He believed that utter sincerity could move even gods, let alone the Turfan and the Uyghur tribes. General Guo asked his lieutenants and army to stay put. Then, with this conviction and his unmatched valour, he went to the camp of the mighty enemy with only a small entourage. When the tribal chieftains saw the legendary general Guo in person, appearing without his armours on, they were all awed with deep respect. They dismounted and disarmed themselves, kowtowing to him, saying, ‘It is really you, our father (果吾父也)!’
<figure id="attachment_9863" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-9863" style="width: 888px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-9863 size-full" src="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Kangxi-porcelain-tile-General-Guo-Ziyi.jpg" alt="Kangxi porcelain tile General Guo Ziyi" width="888" height="644" srcset="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Kangxi-porcelain-tile-General-Guo-Ziyi.jpg?v=1649930959 888w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Kangxi-porcelain-tile-General-Guo-Ziyi-300x218.jpg?v=1649930959 300w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Kangxi-porcelain-tile-General-Guo-Ziyi-768x557.jpg?v=1649930959 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 888px) 100vw, 888px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-9863" class="wp-caption-text">porcelain tile with overglaze enamelled decoration, Kangxi period (1662–1722), Qing dynasty, location to be confirmed</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_9858" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-9858" style="width: 450px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-9858 size-full" src="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/郭子仪免胄果吾父也.jpg" alt="郭子仪免胄果吾父也" width="450" height="600" srcset="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/郭子仪免胄果吾父也.jpg?v=1649571401 450w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/郭子仪免胄果吾父也-225x300.jpg?v=1649571401 225w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-9858" class="wp-caption-text">hanging scroll (detail), ink and colour on paper, Qing dynasty (1644–1911), courtesy of Beijing Painting Academy</figcaption></figure>
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The earliest extant image of this intriguing story was painted by the Northern Song artist Li Gonglin (李公麟, 1049–1106). It is a handscroll entitled ‘General Guo Ziyi Receiving the Uyghurs Without Armours’. Later, the theme became more and more popular, being adopted by artists working with various media. Guo Ziyi’s famed single-handed repulsion of the colossal enemy army is typically portrayed as Guo Ziyi facing some kowtowing generals in exotic headdress with some laid-down arms beside them.
<figure id="attachment_9856" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-9856" style="width: 1275px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-9856 size-full" src="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/李公麟画卷-郭子仪免胄.jpg" alt="李公麟画卷 郭子仪免胄" width="1275" height="700" srcset="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/李公麟画卷-郭子仪免胄.jpg?v=1649571382 1275w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/李公麟画卷-郭子仪免胄-300x165.jpg?v=1649571382 300w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/李公麟画卷-郭子仪免胄-1024x562.jpg?v=1649571382 1024w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/李公麟画卷-郭子仪免胄-768x422.jpg?v=1649571382 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1275px) 100vw, 1275px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-9856" class="wp-caption-text">handscroll, ink on paper (detail), Li Gonglin (1049–1106), courtesy of the National Palace Museum, Taipei</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_9864" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-9864" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-9864 size-full" src="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/笔筒郭子仪免胄退匈奴台北故宫.jpg" alt="笔筒郭子仪免胄退匈奴台北故宫" width="1200" height="752" srcset="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/笔筒郭子仪免胄退匈奴台北故宫.jpg?v=1649931191 1200w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/笔筒郭子仪免胄退匈奴台北故宫-300x188.jpg?v=1649931191 300w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/笔筒郭子仪免胄退匈奴台北故宫-1024x642.jpg?v=1649931191 1024w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/笔筒郭子仪免胄退匈奴台北故宫-768x481.jpg?v=1649931191 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-9864" class="wp-caption-text">bamboo brush holder with carved decoration (2 sides), 17th-century, courtesy of the National Palace Museum, Taipei</figcaption></figure>
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The portrayal of General Guo Ziyi in this scene should be in a civilian’s clothes, as is depicted in Li Gonglin’s handscroll, on some porcelain tiles, in a Qing hanging scroll, and on a carved brush holder. However, Guo’s military fame may have been too influential that some of the artists could not help but portray him in military armour, which actually misses the point of the story!
<figure id="attachment_9865" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-9865" style="width: 700px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-9865 size-full" src="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Burrell-collection-Guo-Ziyi-deterring-enemy-without-armour.jpg" alt="Burrell collection Guo Ziyi deterring enemy without armour" width="700" height="482" srcset="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Burrell-collection-Guo-Ziyi-deterring-enemy-without-armour.jpg?v=1649931816 700w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Burrell-collection-Guo-Ziyi-deterring-enemy-without-armour-300x207.jpg?v=1649931816 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-9865" class="wp-caption-text">porcelain tile with overglaze enamelled decoration, Kangxi period (1662–1722), Qing dynasty, courtesy of The Burrell Collection, Glasgow, the UK</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_9866" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-9866" style="width: 1024px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-9866 size-full" src="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Jie-Rui-Tang-Kangxi-Guo-Ziyi-Deterring-Enemy-1.jpg" alt="Jie Rui Tang Kangxi Guo Ziyi Deterring Enemy" width="1024" height="700" srcset="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Jie-Rui-Tang-Kangxi-Guo-Ziyi-Deterring-Enemy-1.jpg?v=1649931870 1024w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Jie-Rui-Tang-Kangxi-Guo-Ziyi-Deterring-Enemy-1-300x205.jpg?v=1649931870 300w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Jie-Rui-Tang-Kangxi-Guo-Ziyi-Deterring-Enemy-1-768x525.jpg?v=1649931870 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-9866" class="wp-caption-text">porcelain tile with overglaze enamelled decoration, Kangxi period (1662–1722), Qing dynasty, courtesy of the Jie Rui Tang Collection</figcaption></figure>
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Many thanks to Professor Christiaan Jörg who has adopted my research result of an image on a Kangxi dish in his book ‘Famille Verte: Chinese Porcelain in Green Enamels’ published in 2011 (see below). His earlier book ‘Chinese Ceramics in the Collection of the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam’ (1997) has not yet identified the figures and story scene depicted on this plate.
<figure id="attachment_9855" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-9855" style="width: 800px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-9855 size-full" src="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Kangxi-porcelain-dish-General-Guo-deterring-enemy.jpg" alt="Kangxi porcelain dish General Guo deterring enemy" width="800" height="800" srcset="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Kangxi-porcelain-dish-General-Guo-deterring-enemy.jpg?v=1649571371 800w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Kangxi-porcelain-dish-General-Guo-deterring-enemy-300x300.jpg?v=1649571371 300w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Kangxi-porcelain-dish-General-Guo-deterring-enemy-150x150.jpg?v=1649571371 150w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Kangxi-porcelain-dish-General-Guo-deterring-enemy-768x768.jpg?v=1649571371 768w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Kangxi-porcelain-dish-General-Guo-deterring-enemy-400x400.jpg?v=1649571371 400w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Kangxi-porcelain-dish-General-Guo-deterring-enemy-370x370.jpg?v=1649571371 370w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-9855" class="wp-caption-text">porcelain dish with overglaze enamelled decoration, Kangxi period (1662–1722), Qing dynasty, courtesy of the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, the Netherlands</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_9867" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-9867" style="width: 750px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-9867 size-full" src="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Famille-Verte-Chinese-Porcelain-in-Green-Enamels.jpg" alt="Famille Verte: Chinese Porcelain in Green Enamels" width="750" height="878" srcset="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Famille-Verte-Chinese-Porcelain-in-Green-Enamels.jpg?v=1649932094 750w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Famille-Verte-Chinese-Porcelain-in-Green-Enamels-256x300.jpg?v=1649932094 256w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-9867" class="wp-caption-text">cover of the book &#8216;Famille Verte: Chinese Porcelain in Green Enamels&#8217;</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_9868" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-9868" style="width: 858px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-9868 size-full" src="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/snapshot-from-book-Famille-Verte-Chinese-Porcelain-in-Green-Enamels.jpg" alt="snapshot from the book 'Famille Verte: Chinese Porcelain in Green Enamels'" width="858" height="999" srcset="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/snapshot-from-book-Famille-Verte-Chinese-Porcelain-in-Green-Enamels.jpg?v=1649932153 858w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/snapshot-from-book-Famille-Verte-Chinese-Porcelain-in-Green-Enamels-258x300.jpg?v=1649932153 258w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/snapshot-from-book-Famille-Verte-Chinese-Porcelain-in-Green-Enamels-768x894.jpg?v=1649932153 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 858px) 100vw, 858px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-9868" class="wp-caption-text">snapshot from the book &#8216;Famille Verte: Chinese Porcelain in Green Enamels&#8217;</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_9869" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-9869" style="width: 358px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-9869 size-full" src="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Chinese-Ceramics-in-the-Collection-of-the-Rijksmuseum.jpg" alt="cover of the book 'Chinese Ceramics in the Collection of the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam'" width="358" height="474" srcset="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Chinese-Ceramics-in-the-Collection-of-the-Rijksmuseum.jpg?v=1649932223 358w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Chinese-Ceramics-in-the-Collection-of-the-Rijksmuseum-227x300.jpg?v=1649932223 227w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 358px) 100vw, 358px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-9869" class="wp-caption-text">cover of the book &#8216;Chinese Ceramics in the Collection of the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam&#8217;</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_9870" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-9870" style="width: 472px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-9870 size-full" src="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/snapshot-from-the-book-Chinese-Ceramics-in-the-Collection-of-the-Rijksmuseum.jpg" alt="snapshot from the book 'Chinese Ceramics in the Collection of the Rijksmuseum'" width="472" height="999" srcset="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/snapshot-from-the-book-Chinese-Ceramics-in-the-Collection-of-the-Rijksmuseum.jpg?v=1649932257 472w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/snapshot-from-the-book-Chinese-Ceramics-in-the-Collection-of-the-Rijksmuseum-142x300.jpg?v=1649932257 142w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 472px) 100vw, 472px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-9870" class="wp-caption-text">snapshot from the book &#8216;Chinese Ceramics in the Collection of the Rijksmuseum&#8217;</figcaption></figure>
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A blue-and-white beaker vase in the collection of Ashmolean Museum, Oxford bears the same story scene. However, it only has ‘…with warriors in a landscape’ as its description at the moment.
<figure id="attachment_9871" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-9871" style="width: 2017px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-9871 size-full" src="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Ashmolean-blue-and-white-beaker-vase-warriors-in-a-landscape.jpg" alt="Ashmolean blue-and-white beaker vase warriors in a landscape" width="2017" height="2123" srcset="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Ashmolean-blue-and-white-beaker-vase-warriors-in-a-landscape.jpg?v=1649932334 2017w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Ashmolean-blue-and-white-beaker-vase-warriors-in-a-landscape-285x300.jpg?v=1649932334 285w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Ashmolean-blue-and-white-beaker-vase-warriors-in-a-landscape-973x1024.jpg?v=1649932334 973w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Ashmolean-blue-and-white-beaker-vase-warriors-in-a-landscape-768x808.jpg?v=1649932334 768w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Ashmolean-blue-and-white-beaker-vase-warriors-in-a-landscape-1459x1536.jpg?v=1649932334 1459w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Ashmolean-blue-and-white-beaker-vase-warriors-in-a-landscape-1946x2048.jpg?v=1649932334 1946w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Ashmolean-blue-and-white-beaker-vase-warriors-in-a-landscape-1568x1650.jpg?v=1649932334 1568w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2017px) 100vw, 2017px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-9871" class="wp-caption-text">screenshot from Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, https://collections.ashmolean.org/object/359972, accessed on 7 April, 2022</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_9872" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-9872" style="width: 1111px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-9872 size-full" src="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Ashmolean-beaker-vase-Guo-Ziyi-repulsion-of-Turfan-and-the-Uyghur.jpg" alt="Ashmolean beaker vase Guo Ziyi repulsion of Turfan and the Uyghur" width="1111" height="1013" srcset="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Ashmolean-beaker-vase-Guo-Ziyi-repulsion-of-Turfan-and-the-Uyghur.jpg?v=1649932364 1111w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Ashmolean-beaker-vase-Guo-Ziyi-repulsion-of-Turfan-and-the-Uyghur-300x274.jpg?v=1649932364 300w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Ashmolean-beaker-vase-Guo-Ziyi-repulsion-of-Turfan-and-the-Uyghur-1024x934.jpg?v=1649932364 1024w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Ashmolean-beaker-vase-Guo-Ziyi-repulsion-of-Turfan-and-the-Uyghur-768x700.jpg?v=1649932364 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1111px) 100vw, 1111px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-9872" class="wp-caption-text">porcelain vase with underglaze blue decoration, Chongzhen period (1628–44), Ming dynasty, courtesy of Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, the UK</figcaption></figure>
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The findings and opinions in this research article are written by Dr Yibin Ni. 
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Xiahou Dun, a heroic soldier in ancient China, was famous for his one-eyed appearance. Let’s appreciate how Dr <a style="color: #3366ff;" data-internal-link="true" href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/about-us/dr-yibin-ni/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Yibin Ni</a> analyses the artistic presentations of this character on Chinese antique porcelain, woodblock print and other art forms, in association with comparable figures in Western culture.
image above: porcelain dish (detail) with overglaze enamelled decoration, Qing dynasty (1644-1911), courtesy of Qingzhou Municipal Museum
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Xiahou Dun (夏侯惇, died 13 June 220) was one of Cao Cao’s (曹操, 155-220) most valued generals in the late Eastern Han dynasty (东汉, 25-220) of China. Cao Cao was the grand chancellor in court and grew into a powerful warlord ruling most part of Northern China. Cao Cao treated Xiahou as family and Xiahou remained his loyal lieutenant till his last day. Xiahou showed his strong temperament even when he was in his early teens. Once his mentor was insulted, and he went straight to the insulter and killed him. During the 190s in a military campaign against the famous fighter <a data-internal-link="true" href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/figures-stories/lv-bus-archery-stunt-at-the-camp-gate/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lv Bu</a> (Lü Bu 吕布, died 199), an arrow hit one of Xiahou’s eyeballs. He showed his valour by <a data-internal-link="true" href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/figures-stories/xiahou-dun-yanking-an-arrow-that-pierced-his-eyeball/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">yanking the arrow</a> out of his eye socket and ate his own eyeball as an act of filial piety because of the cherished belief that any part of the body was a gift from parents and should not be thrown away. From then on, Xiahou was known as ‘One-eyed Xiahou’, as is the case of the name of the legendary Roman hero, Horatius Cocles, who lost an eye in the famous Battle of the Sublician Bridge on the Tiber River and whose nickname ‘Cocles’ means ‘one-eyed’.
<figure id="attachment_6202" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-6202" style="width: 800px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-6202 size-full" src="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Horatius-Cocles-Tutuhaoyi.jpg" alt="Horatius Cocles, engraving, Hendrick Goltzius (1558-1617), 1586" width="800" height="1246" srcset="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Horatius-Cocles-Tutuhaoyi.jpg?v=1611301377 800w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Horatius-Cocles-Tutuhaoyi-193x300.jpg?v=1611301377 193w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Horatius-Cocles-Tutuhaoyi-657x1024.jpg?v=1611301377 657w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Horatius-Cocles-Tutuhaoyi-768x1196.jpg?v=1611301377 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-6202" class="wp-caption-text">Horatius Cocles, engraving, Hendrick Goltzius (1558-1617), 1586</figcaption></figure>
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<figure id="attachment_6203" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-6203" style="width: 1024px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-6203 size-full" src="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Qingzhou-museum-plate-Tutuhaoyi.jpg" alt="porcelain dish painting Xiahou Dun 夏侯惇" width="1024" height="1024" srcset="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Qingzhou-museum-plate-Tutuhaoyi.jpg?v=1611301447 1024w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Qingzhou-museum-plate-Tutuhaoyi-300x300.jpg?v=1611301447 300w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Qingzhou-museum-plate-Tutuhaoyi-150x150.jpg?v=1611301447 150w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Qingzhou-museum-plate-Tutuhaoyi-768x768.jpg?v=1611301447 768w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Qingzhou-museum-plate-Tutuhaoyi-400x400.jpg?v=1611301447 400w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Qingzhou-museum-plate-Tutuhaoyi-370x370.jpg?v=1611301447 370w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-6203" class="wp-caption-text">porcelain dish with overglaze enamelled decoration, Qing dynasty (1644-1911), courtesy of Qingzhou Municipal Museum</figcaption></figure>
A Qing-dynasty enamelled dish has this intensely dramatic scene as its decorative theme. The porcelain painter chose the climactic moment with Xiahou’s hand pulling the arrow out of his eye socket. The enemy archer opposite him is still holding the bow in front of him with his right hand pulling back as if he had just released the lethal arrow. In the 14th-century popular historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms (三国演义), Xiahou had no sooner swallowed his eyeball than he charged at the archer and sent his spear into his face.
<figure id="attachment_6205" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-6205" style="width: 1187px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-6205 size-full" src="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Xiahou-Dun-yanking-arrow-Tutuhaoyi.jpg" alt="porcelain dish painted with Xiahou Dun shot in the eye" width="1187" height="1152" srcset="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Xiahou-Dun-yanking-arrow-Tutuhaoyi.jpg?v=1611301589 1187w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Xiahou-Dun-yanking-arrow-Tutuhaoyi-300x291.jpg?v=1611301589 300w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Xiahou-Dun-yanking-arrow-Tutuhaoyi-1024x994.jpg?v=1611301589 1024w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Xiahou-Dun-yanking-arrow-Tutuhaoyi-768x745.jpg?v=1611301589 768w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Xiahou-Dun-yanking-arrow-Tutuhaoyi-1080x1048.jpg?v=1611301589 1080w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1187px) 100vw, 1187px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-6205" class="wp-caption-text">porcelain dish (detail) with overglaze enamelled decoration, Qing dynasty (1644-1911), courtesy of Qingzhou Municipal Museum</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_6206" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-6206" style="width: 1151px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-6206 size-full" src="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/archer-bow-Xiahou-Dun-Tutuhaoyi.jpg" alt="porcelain painting of battle with Xiaohou Dun" width="1151" height="1216" srcset="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/archer-bow-Xiahou-Dun-Tutuhaoyi.jpg?v=1611301655 1151w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/archer-bow-Xiahou-Dun-Tutuhaoyi-284x300.jpg?v=1611301655 284w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/archer-bow-Xiahou-Dun-Tutuhaoyi-969x1024.jpg?v=1611301655 969w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/archer-bow-Xiahou-Dun-Tutuhaoyi-768x811.jpg?v=1611301655 768w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/archer-bow-Xiahou-Dun-Tutuhaoyi-1080x1141.jpg?v=1611301655 1080w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1151px) 100vw, 1151px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-6206" class="wp-caption-text">porcelain dish (detail) with overglaze enamelled decoration, Qing dynasty (1644-1911), courtesy of Qingzhou Municipal Museum</figcaption></figure>
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A comparable artistic treatment of such a spine-chilling spectacle is found on the David d&#8217;Angers’ marble statue of Wounded Philopoemen in the Louvre. Philopoemen, reputed as the ‘last of the Greeks’, was a brilliant general of the Greek army. When his thigh was pierced by an enemy javelin during the Battle of Sellasia, he stoically pulled broken section out on the spot.
<figure id="attachment_6207" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-6207" style="width: 800px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-6207 size-full" src="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Philopoemen-Louvre-Tutuhaoyi.jpg" alt="Wounded Philopoemen, by David d'Angers" width="800" height="1467" srcset="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Philopoemen-Louvre-Tutuhaoyi.jpg?v=1611302037 800w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Philopoemen-Louvre-Tutuhaoyi-164x300.jpg?v=1611302037 164w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Philopoemen-Louvre-Tutuhaoyi-558x1024.jpg?v=1611302037 558w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Philopoemen-Louvre-Tutuhaoyi-768x1408.jpg?v=1611302037 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-6207" class="wp-caption-text">Wounded Philopoemen, by David d&#8217;Angers (1788-1856), 1837, courtesy of the Louvre</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_6208" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-6208" style="width: 1485px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-6208 size-full" src="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Philopoemen-hot-tempered-Tutuhaoyi.jpg" alt="Wounded Philopoemen by David d'Angers " width="1485" height="1370" srcset="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Philopoemen-hot-tempered-Tutuhaoyi.jpg?v=1611302074 1485w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Philopoemen-hot-tempered-Tutuhaoyi-300x277.jpg?v=1611302074 300w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Philopoemen-hot-tempered-Tutuhaoyi-1024x945.jpg?v=1611302074 1024w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Philopoemen-hot-tempered-Tutuhaoyi-768x709.jpg?v=1611302074 768w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Philopoemen-hot-tempered-Tutuhaoyi-1080x996.jpg?v=1611302074 1080w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1485px) 100vw, 1485px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-6208" class="wp-caption-text">Wounded Philopoemen (detail), by David d&#8217;Angers (1788-1856), 1837, courtesy of the Louvre</figcaption></figure>
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A woodblock printed book illustration made in the Qing dynasty shows an epitomic example of this horrendous event with Xiahou thrusting his eyeball into his mouth as if it were a candy haw. For the illustrator, Xiahou’s characteristic act is everything, whether Xiahou is mounted or surrounded by enemy becomes irrelevant.
<figure id="attachment_6209" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-6209" style="width: 413px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-6209 size-full" src="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/woodblock-print-Xiahou-Dun-Tutuhaoyi.jpg" alt="woodblock print of Xiahou Dun" width="413" height="731" srcset="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/woodblock-print-Xiahou-Dun-Tutuhaoyi.jpg?v=1611302124 413w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/woodblock-print-Xiahou-Dun-Tutuhaoyi-169x300.jpg?v=1611302124 169w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 413px) 100vw, 413px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-6209" class="wp-caption-text">illustration, woodblock print, Qing dynasty (1644-1911)</figcaption></figure>
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Xiahou Dun’s hot temper and valiance were legendary that he features prominently in popular digital online games such as ‘Dynasty Warriors (三国无双)’, ‘Honour of Kings (王者荣耀)’, and ‘Total War: Three Kingdoms (全面战争: 三国)’.
<figure id="attachment_6210" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-6210" style="width: 1280px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-6210 size-full" src="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Dynasty-Warriors-三国无双-Tutuhaoyi.jpg" alt="digital online game ‘Dynasty Warriors’" width="1280" height="720" srcset="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Dynasty-Warriors-三国无双-Tutuhaoyi.jpg?v=1611302204 1280w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Dynasty-Warriors-三国无双-Tutuhaoyi-300x169.jpg?v=1611302204 300w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Dynasty-Warriors-三国无双-Tutuhaoyi-1024x576.jpg?v=1611302204 1024w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Dynasty-Warriors-三国无双-Tutuhaoyi-768x432.jpg?v=1611302204 768w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Dynasty-Warriors-三国无双-Tutuhaoyi-1080x608.jpg?v=1611302204 1080w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-6210" class="wp-caption-text">digital online game ‘Dynasty Warriors’</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_6211" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-6211" style="width: 700px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-6211 size-full" src="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/王者荣耀-图图好意.jpg" alt="digital online game ‘Honour of Kings’" width="700" height="574" srcset="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/王者荣耀-图图好意.jpg?v=1611302243 700w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/王者荣耀-图图好意-300x246.jpg?v=1611302243 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-6211" class="wp-caption-text">digital online game ‘Honour of Kings’</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_6212" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-6212" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-6212 size-full" src="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/三国-夏侯惇-Tutuhaoyi.jpg" alt="digital online game ‘Total War: Three Kingdoms’" width="640" height="948" srcset="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/三国-夏侯惇-Tutuhaoyi.jpg?v=1611302318 640w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/三国-夏侯惇-Tutuhaoyi-203x300.jpg?v=1611302318 203w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-6212" class="wp-caption-text">digital online game ‘Total War: Three Kingdoms’</figcaption></figure>
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Artists often try to avoid representing people who have lost one eye in a direct manner, as is the case of the 16th-century engraving of Horatius Cocles illustrating this article. A usual practice in the West is to cover the empty eye socket with a one-eyed mask often associated with pirates, as are shown in the three contemporary posters for online games. Either way, the maimed face is regarded as something undesirable albeit there is an occasional alluring pirate halo. However, a 19th-century Chinese graphic designer has left us with a genius rendering of Xiahou Dun’s face as a Peking opera character mask. The usually symmetric features on Peking opera masks are cleverly maneuvered in this particular case to maintain an aesthetically pleasing design while an eyeball is discreetly moved to the upper corner of the right eye, indicating the mutilation.
<figure id="attachment_6213" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-6213" style="width: 855px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-6213 size-full" src="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Peking-opera-Xiahou-Dun-Tutuhaoyi.jpg" alt="One of 100 portraits of Peking opera character designs, ink and colour on silk, Xiahou Dun" width="855" height="1051" srcset="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Peking-opera-Xiahou-Dun-Tutuhaoyi.jpg?v=1611302363 855w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Peking-opera-Xiahou-Dun-Tutuhaoyi-244x300.jpg?v=1611302363 244w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Peking-opera-Xiahou-Dun-Tutuhaoyi-833x1024.jpg?v=1611302363 833w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Peking-opera-Xiahou-Dun-Tutuhaoyi-768x944.jpg?v=1611302363 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 855px) 100vw, 855px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-6213" class="wp-caption-text">One of 100 portraits of Peking opera character designs, ink and colour on silk, Xiahou Dun, late 19th century</figcaption></figure>
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The findings and opinions in this research article are written by Dr Yibin Ni. 
&nbsp;

How to depict a heroic soldier in Chinese artworks

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Do you wonder why two warriors are waving swords over a rock that looks like a cross bun? This is not a scene of some mystic ritual. Let Dr <a data-internal-link="true" href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/about-us/dr-yibin-ni/">Yibin Ni</a> demystify this enigmatic scene for you, which illustrates an old Chinese saying- ‘bedfellows dream different dreams’!
featured image above: blue-and-white porcelain jar, Kangxi period (1662-1722), Qing dynasty, courtesy of Mr Chen Minliang’s private collection, Singapore
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In the 14th-century historical novel, Romance of the Three Kingdoms (三国演义, Sānguó Yǎnyì), the generals in the Dongwu (东吴) kingdom conspire to murder Liu Bei (刘备), head of the Shu Han (蜀汉) kingdom, by inviting him to their territory with the promise of the king’s sister for his wife.
Suspecting that it is a trap, Liu Bei’s side decides to go and call the enemy’s bluff. When Liu Bei meets the Queen Mother in Dongwu, she is so taken with him that she wants him for a son-in-law. Her son, the king Sun Quan (孙权), is naturally uneasy about her eagerness because, according to the plan, Liu Bei is going to be their captive and murdered.
When an aide informs Liu Bei that armed men are hidden behind the curtains and in the corridors, Liu Bei complains to the Queen Mother, who reproaches her son. Feigning ignorance, Sun Quan blames his retainers instead. When things have calmed down, Liu Bei goes out to wash his hands.
<figure id="attachment_5999" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-5999" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-5999 size-full" src="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/brushpot-blue-and-white-sword-stone-Tutuhaoyi.jpg" alt="porcelain holder Liu Bei and Sun Quan holding swords" width="1200" height="1251" srcset="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/brushpot-blue-and-white-sword-stone-Tutuhaoyi.jpg?v=1609683361 1200w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/brushpot-blue-and-white-sword-stone-Tutuhaoyi-288x300.jpg?v=1609683361 288w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/brushpot-blue-and-white-sword-stone-Tutuhaoyi-982x1024.jpg?v=1609683361 982w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/brushpot-blue-and-white-sword-stone-Tutuhaoyi-768x801.jpg?v=1609683361 768w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/brushpot-blue-and-white-sword-stone-Tutuhaoyi-1080x1126.jpg?v=1609683361 1080w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-5999" class="wp-caption-text">blue-and-white brush holder, c.1662-1675, courtesy of Shanghai Museum</figcaption></figure>
As he passes a large rock, an inspiration seizes him: taking an attendant’s sword, he lifts his head towards Heaven and pledges, ‘If I am destined to return to Jingzhou (荆州) and complete my mission of reviving the Han, let this sword cut through the stone. If I am to die here, let the stone remain intact.’ As he strikes, the stone splits in two. Sun Quan, who comes to observe Liu Bei from behind, steps forward and asks Liu, ‘Lord Liu, what grudge do you bear this stone?’ Liu Bei replies, ‘I am nearly fifty but still have a long way to go in my mission of punishing traitors. I put a question to Heaven, “If we are to destroy the traitor Cao Cao (曹操), let the stone crack.”’
<figure id="attachment_4949" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-4949" style="width: 650px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-4949 size-full" src="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Liu-Bei-Sun-Quan-chop-stone-Tutuhaoyi.jpg" alt="Rolwagen vase painting Liu Bei and Sun Quan splitting a rock" width="650" height="997" srcset="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Liu-Bei-Sun-Quan-chop-stone-Tutuhaoyi.jpg?v=1608974363 650w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Liu-Bei-Sun-Quan-chop-stone-Tutuhaoyi-196x300.jpg?v=1608974363 196w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-4949" class="wp-caption-text">Rolwagen vase (detail), Kangxi period (c. 1700), courtesy of Rijksmuseum, Holland</figcaption></figure>
The sceptical king then grips his own sword and cries, ‘I, too, shall put a question to Heaven.’ To himself, Sun Quan swears, ‘If I am to regain Jingshou and if Dongwu is to thrive, let the rock split!’ He too brings his sword down and the giant stone breaks again.
This <a style="color: #3366ff;" data-internal-link="true" href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/figures-stories/liu-bei-and-sun-quan-chopping-stone/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tale </a>aptly illustrates the expression, ‘being strange bedfellows,’ i.e., sharing the same bed, but having different thoughts and dreams！
<figure id="attachment_4948" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-4948" style="width: 800px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-4948 size-full" src="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Rolwagen-vase-Rijksmuseum-Tutuhaoyi.jpg" alt="Kangxi rolwagen vase, collection of Rijksmuseum, Holland" width="800" height="955" srcset="https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Rolwagen-vase-Rijksmuseum-Tutuhaoyi.jpg?v=1608974187 800w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Rolwagen-vase-Rijksmuseum-Tutuhaoyi-251x300.jpg?v=1608974187 251w, https://adminrm18.tutuhaoyi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Rolwagen-vase-Rijksmuseum-Tutuhaoyi-768x917.jpg?v=1608974187 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-4948" class="wp-caption-text">rolwagen vase, Kangxi period (c. 1700), h 44cm × d 13.9cm, courtesy of Rijksmuseum, Holland</figcaption></figure>
Dr. Christiaan Jörg published this magnificent Kangxi vase in Famille Verte: Chinese porcelain in green enamels (Groningen 2011, p. 78) and said ‘Only three of the nine illustrations on the vase could be identified.’ Now I have identified the fourth one and just shared its fascinating story with you!
If you have a picture of the other side of this Rolwagen vase that is now kept at <a style="color: #3366ff;" href="https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rijksmuseum</a>, Holland, please <a style="color: #3366ff;" data-internal-link="true" href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/contact-us/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">contact</a> me and I may be able to demystify more scenes depicted on it!
&nbsp;
The findings and opinions in this research article are written by Dr Yibin Ni. 
&nbsp;

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