Yuenü:Maiden of the Southern Forest

Yuenü also was known as the Maiden of the Southern Forest lived during the Spring and Autumn period, between the years 771-476 BCE. Yuenü had a gift for martial arts and adapted very quickly to the art of swordsmanship. Her father was a hunter and likely had great skills to pass down to Yuenü. Throughout the province, everyone knew her abilities, to the point of fame. It caught the attention of the King Goujian of Yue; who was seeking specialists for help in training his army for the ongoing war with another state. She was summed by the king to give a show of her skills before him and his court.

Yeunü

The young Yuenü impressed the king so much with her simple but powerful techniques and the philosophy she carries of strengthening the spirit while remaining calm in combat. He personally went to her for advice on training and teaching his army the skills she possessed. Yuenü is not her birth name, but it is the name that this warrior woman is known for. The King was so intrigued by her skills and her explanation on sword wielding that he gave her the name Yuenü, “the Yue Woman” or “Lady of Yue”. He gave her a position in his kingdom to train his officers in order to gain and spread her methods. Yuenü’s ideals of swordsmanship influence further Chinese martial artists for generations, introducing concepts of using agility and speed to counter the physical strength of the opponent, (Wolfmjo).

Yuenü upholds her cultural values by involving yin and yang as a center of her combat skills and teachings,(Ying and Yang). Yin and Yang are fundamental concepts in Chinese philosophy and culture overall dating from the third century BCE or earlier. This principle exists as inseparable and contradictory opposites. Each pole is neither superior to the other, but each work together to gain harmony. Her core teachings when it comes to swordsmanship and fighting is marked in the earliest known Chinese exposition of the art of the sword: “The art of the sword is profound and hard to understand despite appearing insignificant and easy. It is similar to a door, in that it can be opened and closed; it can be divided into yin and yang. The way of fighting… is to strengthen one’s inner spirit while remaining outwardly calm and well mannered. She may look like an elegant lady, but she fights like a fierce tiger. With this imposing manner, you can put a single fighter against one hundred, and pit one hundred against one thousand,” (Yuenü)   

Yuenü making a point in her quote about a woman may look elegant and simple but she can fight like a fierce tiger, resonates with contemporary women. For so many are faced with doubt by people because they may not have the build or a forceful presence, however, they are able to prove themselves through their skills. It does not have to be with fighting, but through the workforce, education, everyday life. As well as the need for equivalence. Yin and Yang are equal, one is not better than the other. With including this in her teachings, Yuenü spreads and reinforces the ideology of balance.

"Ying and Yang"

Work Cited

-Macbeanlouise. “Yuenü (越女) – c.496 – 465 BCE – Yue, China.” Rebel Women Embroidery, 13 Aug. 2016, rebelwomenembroidery.wordpress.com/2015/07/29/yuenu-%E8%B6%8A%E5%A5%B3-c-496-465-bce-yue-china/.
-“Sword of the Yue Maiden.” WuxiaSociety, 31 May 2015, wuxiasociety.com/sword-of-the-yue-maiden/.
-Wulfmojo. “The-Female-Soldier.” The Female Soldier, 20 Oct. 2014, the-female-soldier.tumblr.com/post/100511039895/yuen%C3%BC-or-the-lady-of-yue-was-a-legendary-chinese.
-“Yin and Yang.” Ancient History Encyclopedia, www.ancient.eu/Yin_and_Yang/.