Altar frontal depicting Wang Zhaojun’s departure to nomadic borderland

The horizontal picture in the upper portion of this altar frontal features a popular theatrical scene. Set in a snowy, rugged terrain is the female rider named Wang Zhaojun who is accompanied by an entourage of three figures. The group appears as if parading on a stage—the main character Zhaojun is led by a player lifting a folding fan and an acrobat doing a somersault; she is also followed by a female attendant carrying a flag. Many plays portrayed Emperor Yuandi (died 33 bce) of the Han dynasty and Lady Zhaojun as tragic lovers. It is said that Yuandi thought of Zhaojun as less beloved based on her portrait and thus gave her to the nomadic leader as part of a peace agreement. However, at the last moment the emperor discovered this palace woman’s exceptional beauty, but it was too late to cancel the edict and keep her in his harem.

Many scenes in Chinese visual arts depict Lady Zhaojun crossing the borderlands with symbolic elements, as in this tapestry. Zhaojun wears a feathered headdress and carries a lute-like instrument (pipa). These items represent the ambiguity in ethnic and cultural identity that has accompanied the development of the story. The feathered headdress often appears in operas on nomadic characters from the steppe. Having Zhaojun donning this headdress suggests her new Xiongnu identity after marriage, yet the pipa keeps her tied to her Han Chinese cultural roots.