China Tour Guide

Consort Yang Yuhuan (楊玉環) (June 1,719 — July 15, 756), often known as Yáng Guìfēi (simplified Chinese: 杨贵妃; traditional Chinese: 楊貴妃; pinyin: Yáng Guìfēi) (with Guifei being the highest rank for imperial consorts at her time), known briefly by the Taoist nun name Taizhen (太真), was one of the Four Beauties of ancient China. She was the beloved consort of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang for many years. During the Anshi Rebellion, as Emperor Xuanzong was fleeing from the capital Chang'an to Chengdu, she was killed because his guards blamed the rebellion on her powerful cousin Yang Guozhong and the rest of her family.

Yang Yuhuan was born in 719, early in the reign of her future husband Emperor Xuanzong. Her great-great-grandfather Yang Wang (楊汪) was a key official during the reign of Emperor Yang of Sui, and, after the breakup of Sui Dynasty, served one of the contenders to succeed Sui, Wang Shichong the Emperor of Zheng; Yang Wang was then killed when Wang Shichong was defeated by Tang Dynasty forces in 621. Yang Wang was from Huayin (華陰, in modern Weinan, Shaanxi), but his clan subsequently relocated to Yongle (永樂, in modern Yuncheng, Shanxi).

Yang Yuhuan's father Yang Xuanyan (楊玄琰) served as a census official at Shu Prefecture (蜀州, in modern Chengdu, Sichuan), and his family went there with him. He appeared to be sonless, but he had four daughters who were known to history -- Yang Yuhuan and three older sisters, who were also beautiful. Yang Xuanyan died when Yang Yuhuan was still young, so Yang Yuhuan was raised by her uncle Yang Xuanjiao (楊玄璬), who was a low level official at Henan Municipality (河南府, i.e., Luoyang).