Ancient Tragic Love Story: Wang Baochuan
How many eighteen years does a woman have in her life, and how did she spend her best years?
Wang Baochuan, a famous figure from the Tang Dynasty, has been glorified by a male-dominated society with an illusory halo to mask selfishness and baseness. There is a subtle voice emerging—women should be like Wang Baochuan, maintaining the same posture for eighteen years, with the belief that one day their suffering will come to an end.
Wang Baochuan’s story ends in a traditional happy reunion; she is reunited with her husband, Xue Pinggui, and they live together with the Princess of Daizhan as a family, which has been celebrated as an eternal tale of love and loyalty. Unfortunately, eighteen days later, Wang Baochuan died, unable to extend this superficial happiness into something more lasting.
For Xue Pinggui, those eighteen days of wealth and glory were a relief from the burden on his conscience—if he even had one. People say Wang Baochuan broke free from the shackles of feudalism, defied patriarchal authority, and pursued true love, a story both admirable and heartbreaking.
In my opinion, there’s no need to sing praises; tears are inevitable. How could she not cry, thinking she had found her true love only to end up ruining her life? He did indeed rise to power, but he was no longer hers. She sacrificed herself, and in the end, it was nothing more than a dream.
Her death was not a peaceful fulfillment of her wishes but rather the moment she realized that the faith she had clung to had shattered into ridicule. Even today, there are tragic stories of women left behind, who send their loved ones abroad to study, only to receive word a year or so later: “I’m sorry, I’ve found someone new. You don’t need to wait any longer.”
Indeed, times have progressed—at least the convenience of modern communication means that women no longer have to wait eighteen years for such news.
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
