The only dancer who at last became an empress was Zhao Feiyan.
Her name, Zhao Feiyan, which in Chinese means flying swallow, was said given from her beautiful dance. She was the most famous dancer of the Han Dynasty (206BC-220AD).
Originally a dancer in the family of Princess Yang'e, Zhao Feiyan was favored by Emperor Cheng of the Han Dynasty, who made her an imperial concubine and later the empress. Legend has it that she won so much favor from the emperor because of her superb dancing skills. Historical records say she "was light as a swallow and could dance on another one's palm". This might be exaggerated but all historical records acknowledged that she had a lightweight and enchanting dancing gift.
On a Han Dynasty brick excavated from Zhengzhou, Henan Province, a women dancer has both sleeves floating in the wind. Standing on one foot, she has raised the other foot as if she were rising up. What's even more wonderful is that on the left top of the brick is carved a flying swallow. The painter was no doubt telling the audience that this dancer was highly skilled and light as a swallow. It seems that being "lightweight" was the common aspiration of the Han people for dancers.
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