The story of the concubine Wang Zhaojun, one of China's four historical beauties (along with Diao Chan, Xi Shi and Concubine Yang) is a Chinese morality tale of political alliance and sacrifice, a tale that, like much of Chinese past, has been obfuscated over time into numerous versions. The most interesting story runs like this:

Wang Zhaojun was selected at an early age to be a concubine for the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD) Emperor, Yuandi, one of his imperial majesty's many. Apparently Yuandi used to select his bed partner from pictures that the court painter created. The painter, a clever entrepreneur, castrated his art for monetary gains by charging the concubines for his artistic skills, and these women obliged by competing courageously, all but Wang Zhaojun. The result was that the emperor, semi-satisfied by love at home, but troubled by war in the north, had never set eyes on the heroine when he came to decide which of his ladies would be sent to the north to appease the tribal chief of a southern Hun tribe, the Xiongnu. He chose the ugliest of his concubine pictures, Wang Zhaojun.
The hand-over occurred in 33 BC, and the emperor, furious with his mistake, was finally persuaded, in the sake of peace, to relent. The result was a peace of over 40 years.

The Tomb of Wang Zhaojun (Wang zhaojun mu) itself is also shrouded in mystery, in that no one knows whether the true concubine Wang lies beneath. Located about 9km south of the city center, the tomb is one of 9 of its kind scattered about Inner Mongolia. The pyramid-shaped mound is 98 feet-high and is crowned by a pavilion on its summit. From the pavilion the views are nice: of the grasslands, farms and the small park that surrounds the foot of the tomb. The park contains a couple of interesting features, a statue of the couple together on horseback, and a rose garden that within contains a museum that holds a couple of steles, and clothing (inc. shoes), jewels & books that allegedly belong to the deceased.

How to get there: Take bus No.14 from the intersection of Shiyangqiao xilu and Nanchafang jie to its terminus at the tomb. Alternatively you can take a taxi or a long walk south down Tongdao nanjie, from the Great Mosque.
Opening hours: 10am-4pm.
Cost: RMB10.

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About Hohhot

. Hohhot Wuta Temple (Wuta Si) . Hohhot Xilamuren Grassland(Xilamuren Caoyuan) . Hohhot General¡¯s Official Residence (Jiangjun Fu) . Hohhot Wusutu National Forest Park . Hohhot Ordos Biogeocenose Park (Ordos Shizhenyuan) . Hohhot Gegentala Grassland (Gegentala Caoyuan) . Hohhot Xilitu Lamasery (Xilitu Zhao) . Hohhot Prince Mansion (Wangye Fu) . Hohhot Dazhao Lamasery (Dazhao Si) . Hohhot Great Mosque (Qingzhen Dasi) . Hohhot White Tower (Bai Ta) . Hohhot Zhaojun Tomb (Zhaojun Mu) . Hohhot Inner Mongolia Museum (Neimenggu Bowuguan) . Hohhot Dayao Culture Relics (Dayao Wenhua Yizhi)

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