1.The Formation of the Story

　　Wang Zhaojun is frequently mentioned in The Han Chronicle. But The Latter Han Chronicle is the book which provides very detailed description of her，including her native place, identity even her personality and the scene of Chusai.

　　Biography of Wang Zhaojun plays a very important role in the formation of the story. The previous works both in official history and unofficial history all centered on the scene of Chusai, and almost nothing is mentioned about her life after Chusai. The story has become very popular since the Six Dynasties and the ordinary people had great interest in the ending of Wang Zhaojun, with whom ordinary people commiserate. To meet the need, Biography of Wang Zhaojun accordingly offers us a vivid description of Zhaojun’s feeling and situation through imagination and invention. On her way to Hun, Zhaojun was very sad. She found a lot of differences in customs and habits, which even gave her much more languishing looks. Trying every means to persuade her to forget the old memories, Chanyu regarded her as the apple of his eyes, and conferred the title of queen on her. Finally she was ill and became weaker and weaker because of her long-term homesickness. Being very sad about this, Chanyu tried to find the best doctors to treat her illness, but nothing helped. Unfortunately she passed away at midnight. Chanyu was too mournful to accept the fact. He attended her funeral as an ordinary people, and presented a memorial about this matter to the court. The Emperor Ai of the Han Dynasty dispatched Yang Shaohui to attend the funeral.

　　2.The Development of the Story

　　The earliest dramatist who showed great interest in this story is Guan Hanqing who is the best dramatist in the Yuan Dynasty (1206-1370). He wrote Emperor Yuan of the Han Dynasty Cried over Zhaojun, which unfortunately was lost. And the only works that are available now are Zhaojun’s Chusai by Zhang Shiqi, Zhaojun’s Leaving for Hun on A Moonlit Night by Wu Changling and so on. The Tragic Romance of Han Palace by Ma Zhiyuan (a great poet in the Yuan Dynasty) has always been regarded as the best one, which both contains the original legends and author’s creation. Its value goes far beyond the works in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

　　There are many dramas on the story of Wang Zhaojun, which were written in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Zaju (a kind of poetic drama set to music) includes Zhaojun’s Chusai by Chen Yujiao, Zhaojun’s Dream by Xue Dan, Elegy on Pipa by You Dong, and Whisper of Pipa by Zhou Leqing and so on. The romance involves Ning Hu Ji by Chen Zongding, He Rong Ji whose author has not been identified, The Biography of Wang Zhaojun, etc. Unfortunately many other works were lost. Most of the dramas in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, centering on the love between Emperor Yuan and Wang Zhaojun to cater for the taste of times, are influenced by The Tragic Romance of Han Palace. And most of these works have a happy ending, which is accepted by most readers. He Rong Ji is a long romance composed of thirty drama pieces. The author might live at the beginning of the Ming Dynasty. The Compilation of Yuan Dramas provides the introduction of the story. The emperor wanted to confer the title of queen on Wang Qiang, so he ordered Mao Yanshou to portray her. Wang Qiang offered him a portrait drew by herself. But after modifying it badly Mao Yanshou presented it to the emperor, for she did nothing to thank him for his help. As a result the emperor almost paid no attention to this portrait. The emperor one day took a walk in the Rear Palace, and happened to hear Wang Qiang playing the Qin (a seven-stringed plucked musical instrument). He was told that she was Wang Qiang. Receiving her at court, emperor was deeply attracted by her beauty, and immediately conferred the title of queen on her. Then he ordered someone to kill Mao Yanshou, who has already fled to Hun with the original portrait when he heard the news. Then he presented the portrait to Chanyu, and goaded him to ask for Wang Qiang and married her and Chanyu followed his suggestion. Han court made the other one who was also good at music substitute for Wang Qiang, but Mao Yanshou discovered the secret and told Changyu. With great anger Chanyu invaded Han. The emperor could not but agreed to accept Chanyu’s requirements and offered Wang Qiang to him. Before accepting his requirements, Wang Qiang asked Chanyu to kill Mao Yanshou. Chanyu killed him immediately. After hearing the news, she drowned herself in the Wujiang River. The emperor missed her very much. Finally the emperor married Wang Qiang’s sister, Wang Xiuzhen.

　　The plot of Elegy on Pipa by You Dong is quite similar to that of The Tragic Romance of Han Palace by Ma Zhiyuan. On the contrary in Zhaojun’s Dream wrote at the end of the Ming and beginning of Qing Dynasties the actual conflicts could not be found but it is full of much romantic color.

　　There are still many dramas centering on the story of Wang Zhaojun in the 21st century, among which two works with the same name of Wang Zhaojun respectively wrote by Go Moruo and Cao Yu are very outstanding. Contrary to most of the works that blame the misfortunes of Wang Zhaojun on other’s frame up, Go Moruo (1892-1978) tried to find out the ultimate reasons in the feudalist society. Sticking to the important topic of national unity, Cao Yu (1910-1996) completely got rid of the tragedy elements of the previous works, infusing the topic into new historic significance.

　　3.The Collection and Rearrangement of the Story

　　The story of Wang Zhaojun had been a very popular play but hadn’t drawn the interest of novelists until the publishing of The Legend of Zhaojun and Her Sister in the Qing Dynasty. But the publishing of this book didn’t bring too much surprising, and was not powerful enough to promote the flourishing production of that topic, for almost nothing can be mentioned about its theme and artistic achievements. The most important achievement of this book lies in its collection and rearrangement of all of the details of this story which was told among common people.

　　The author of The Legend of Zhaojun and Her Sister employing the same mechanics of novel writing popular among the writers in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, only collected together the stories of Wang Zhaojun. And we are very familiar with this mechanics by which the novels about Yue Fei were written. Although it is about the historical facts, it is full of imaginations and inventions, and always has a happy ending. But as far as its achievement is concerned, it provides us a complete collection of this story.

　　Among the novels on the story of Wang Zhaojun in the 21st century, Wang Zhaojun by Gao Yang deserves our attention.

　　4.The Extending of the Story

　　In Wang Zhaojun’s hometown, people often regard her as a heroine who punished local tyrants, and loved the poor and needy, and who possessed great wisdom and inexhaustible power. In Zhaojun ordinary people repose their fine hopes. And some works detail Zhaojun’s personal love story, such as Fragrant Float Grass which expresses common people’s sympathy for her. Besides some works were wrote to commemorate her like Peach blossom Fish: There is a Xiangxi River at the northern bank of the Yangtze River in the Xiling Gorge, Zigui County, Hubei Province. Zhaojun’s hometown is there. In the season when peaches are in full blossom, there would be a lot of peach blossom fish in the Xiangxi River. These transparent fish has three colors, jade white, light yellow, and pink. And they are like peach petals falling down from the peach tree.

　　Ordinary people often repose fine hopes in folk legends. Some scholars usually give new explanations to the popularly accepted opinions and great names in history, such as Wang Zhaojun who is regarded as the emissary for national friendship. The deconstruction firstly characterized by doubts focuses on legends. There is an article on the Internet which offers completely new explanation to Luoyan (be beautiful enough to make geese settle) used to describe Wang Zhaojun’s beauty. The article, however, focuses on environmental problems. Though it has nothing to do with traditional explanation of this story, it at least reflects the shift of people’s attention.