Chinese History Blamed This Woman For 2,796 Years. Science Clears Her Name

Few women in Chinese history have been as scorned – or as misunderstood – as Bao Si. For nearly three millennia, the queen has been remembered not as a person, but as a symbol: the beautiful femme fatale whose cold heart and unparalleled beauty brought down a dynasty.

According to legend, Bao Si was a queen so aloof she never smiled. Desperate to amuse her, King You of the Western Zhou Dynasty (about 1046-771 BC) is said to have played a deadly prank: he lit the kingdom’s sacred beacon fires – meant to warn of invasion – just to watch the nobles rush in panic to his court.

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Chinese History Blamed This Woman For 2,796 Years. Science Clears Her Name

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