Imperial Consort Dong was one of the most famous dancers of the Tang Dynasty.[1] She may have danced for three Tang emperors.[2] Because of her talent, Imperial Consort Dong became an imperial consort for Emperor Dezong.[3] She was given the highest posthumous title for a female member of the imperial family.[4]
In 772, Imperial Consort Dong was born. Her personal name is unknown.[5] It is not known where she was from.[6] Her parents’ names are also unrecorded.[7] However, scholars believe that she came from a household of entertainers.[8]
In 787, Lady Dong was selected to become a palace courtesan at the age of fifteen.[9] Lady Dong was said to be “a wondrous beauty with a willowy waist, flexible body, and graceful gait who was possessed of elegant poise.”[10] However, it was her dancing talent that brought Lady Dong glory and fame.[11] During Emperor Dezong’s reign, dancing was a major art form.[12] It “greatly enriched the culture of the Tang Dynasty.”[13] Lady Dong performed for Emperor Dezong (r. 779-805) during numerous royal banquets.[14]
Lady Dong became a “sexual partner”[15] for Emperor Dezong. Later, Emperor Dezong made Lady Dong his imperial consort.[16] He chose her for her “womanly virtues.”[17] It was extremely rare that a palace courtesan became an emperor’s imperial consort.[18] Imperial Consort Dong did not bear Emperor Dezong any children.[19]
In Imperial Consort Dong’s later years, she taught dance at the Pear Garden, which was a school for palace courtesans.[20] She was respected by both her students and female members of the imperial family.[21] Imperial Consort Dong may also have danced for both Emperor Shunzong (r. 805) and Emperor Xianzong (r. 805-820).[22] Therefore, Imperial Consort Dong’s dancing was greatly admired by Tang emperors.[23]
In 837, Imperial Consort Dong died in “the inner quarters of the imperial palace.”[24] She was sixty-five years old.[25] She was buried in “the imperial cemetery at Nanyao Village, Bachang Township, Wannian County”[26] (modern-day Xi’an). Imperial Consort Dong was given the posthumous title of Lady of Longxi District (which was the highest posthumous honorary title granted to female members of the imperial family).[27] Emperor Wenzong (r. 827-840) commissioned Li Zhi to write an epitaph for her.[28] The epitaph praised her by saying that her reputation “reached the Ninth Heaven, and her name will be passed down to a thousand generations.”[29]
There are very few facts that are known about Imperial Consort Dong.[30] However, it is clear that she was greatly esteemed and admired during her lifetime.[31] She was given the highest posthumous honorary title, and an epitaph was written for her.[32] Because of her dancing talent, Imperial Consort Dong was admired for many generations.[33]
Sources:
Fang, L., & Ma, L. (trans). (2023). The History of Chinese Ceramics. Germany: Qilu Press.
Yao, P. (2014). “Dong, Lady”. Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women, Volume II: Tang Through Ming 618 – 1644. (Xiao, H. Lee, L., Ed. & Wiles, S., Ed.) NY: Routledge. pp. 48-50.
[1] Yao, 2014
[2] Yao, 2014
[3] Yao, 2014
[4] Yao, 2014
[5] Yao, 2014
[6] Yao, 2014
[7] Yao, 2014
[8] Yao, 2014
[9] Yao, 2014
[10] Yao, 2014, p. 49
[11] Yao, 2014
[12] Fang, 2023
[13] Fang, 2023, p. 238
[14] Yao, 2014
[15] Yao, 2014, p. 50
[16] Yao, 2014
[17] Yao, 2014, p. 50
[18] Yao, 2014
[19] Yao, 2014
[20] Yao, 2014
[21] Yao, 2014
[22] Yao, 2014
[23] Yao, 2014
[24] Yao, 2014, p. 50
[25] Yao, 2014
[26] Yao, 2014, p. 50
[27] Yao, 2014
[28] Yao, 2014
[29] Yao, 2014, p. 49
[30] Yao, 2014
[31] Yao, 2014
[32] Yao, 2014
[33] Yao, 2014
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