She Xiang

She Xiang (Chinese: 奢香; pinyin: shēxiāng ) (1358-1396) was a member of the Yi people (彝). She Zi (舍兹) is her Yi (彝) name. Guizhou female Shui Xi soil department during the Ming Dynasty. She is well-respected for her accomplishments in constructing roads and bridges as well as mediating conflicts between the Yi and Han ethnic groups.

Life She Xiang was born in 1358 (the 18th year of Yuan to Zheng) in Yongning, Sichuan Province (now Gulin County, Sichuan Province). She was the daughter of the Xuanfu Department of Yongning, Sichuan Province, and the Hengshe family of the Yi people.

In 1375 (the eighth year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty), she wed Ai Cui (蔼翠), the leader of Shuixi Yi Mobu and pacificator from Guizhou. After they were married, She Xiang assisted her husband in handling domestic and political matters and developed into an Ai Cui moral wife. She frequently helped her husband with matters related to the Ministry of Public Affairs. As she cohabitated with her spouse, She Xiang progressively enhanced the regent director's political acumen. The man was well-known for his proficiency across several Shui West departments, adored by the clansmen, and recognized as "Tho Mu" (King chief).

Following Ai Cui's death, She Xiang took over the role of Guizhou Xuanweishi (宣慰使) because of her son's young age.

Ma Ye（马烨）, the commander of Guizhou in the Ming Dynasty, regarded She Xiang as a "Ghost Barbarian Girl" (鬼方蛮女) out of ethnic prejudice and was jealous and dissatisfied with her. Ma Ye was arrogant and insolent and wantonly killed the Yi people. And she was forced She Xiang to pay taxes. Guizhou is suffering from a severe drought, no grain harvest, people living in extreme hardship, and tax collection is impossible. She Xiang repeatedly complained in writing, but Ma Ye took the opportunity to catch She Xiang in Guiyang and instructed the strong men to expose her body and lash her back in an attempt to provoke the Yi soldiers. She Xiang's subordinates had long hated Ma Ye. When they learned that She Xiang had been humiliated, they became even angrier and led their soldiers to gather together. The war was on the verge of eruption. She Xiang made clear to his subordinates that she was unwilling to rebel and publicly revealed Ma Ye's intention to force opposition, thereby avoiding the disaster of war that affected the people of all ethnic groups in Guizhou. In the same year, She Xiang came to the capital on the recommendation of Liu Shuzhen and reported Ma Ye's crimes to Zhu Yuanzhang. Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to get rid of Ma Ye, so he asked She Xiang, "What will you give me in return?" She replied, "I am willing to make sure that my descendants will not dare to cause trouble again." And expressed "willingness to publish mountain chisel danger, open a post road." Zhu Yuanzhang was overjoyed, awarded her the title of "Lady Shunde," rewarded her with gold, silver, and silk goods, and called Ma Ye back to Kyoto to punish him. When She Xiang returned to Guizhou, all her subordinates felt the virtue of the court.

After She Xiang returned to Guizhou, she led various tribes to set up two post roads centered on Bianqiao (now Shibing County). One goes west through Guiyang, past Wusa, and reaches Wumeng (now Zhaotong, Yunnan); One goes north through Caotang (now Weng 'an County) to Rongshan (now Meitan County). After opening the post road, She Xiang went to Jinling many times.

Reforming Yi（彝） script In addition to the introduction of Chinese, she also remembered to develop her own national culture. She carried out effective reforms in the use and dissemination of the Yi script, which not only liberated the Yi script from mystery and made it appear on carriers such as stone on a large scale but also expanded the function of the Yi script from the traditional transmission of scriptures and history to daily affairs such as bookkeeping, contracts, recording ballads, and correspondence, promoting the wide spread of the Yi script so that a large number of Yi culture and written historical materials can be preserved.

She Xiang Park

She Xiang Park is located in Luzhou City（泸州市）. The 22-meter-high She Xiang sculpture stands on the platform at the park's highest point. It is a comprehensive park that integrates human and regional cultural characteristics, ecology, landscape, health, entertainment, and rest.

Tomb of She Xiang

She Xiang Tomb is located in the north of Dafang County, Guizhou Province, under the Yunlong Mountain, Wulong Potou Ximatang, and is a national critical protection of cultural relics.

In 1396 (the 29th year of Ming Hongwu), She Xiang died of illness; Zhu Yuanzhang sent people to pay tribute and honored her with the posthumous title of "Lady of the Great Ming Shunde"（ 大明顺德夫人 ）, her tomb was built according to the specifications of the three products, and "Lady of the Ming Shunde She Xiang Tomb"（明顺德夫人奢香墓） was engraved on the tombstone. In the early years of Kangxi in the Qing Dynasty, when Wu Sangui, king of Pingxi, led his troops to "Pacify Nanman" （平南蛮）and "Suppress Shuixi"（剿水西）, She Xiang Tomb and ancillary facilities were destroyed. In 1833 (the 13th year of Daoguang in the Qing Dynasty), An Ganxin(安淦辛）, the descendant of She Xiang, requested for repair, which was later presided over by the Governor of Dading and the governor of Qianxi and carried out some repairs. In 1949, only Qing Dynasty stone tombs and cover tablets were left in the weeds. In 1964, the People's Government of Guizhou Province listed the She Xiang Tomb as a provincial cultural relic protection unit—with initial restoration in 1979. In 1985, the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, Guizhou Provincial Department of Culture, and local cultural relics departments at all levels jointly funded the restoration of the She Xiang tomb with reference to historical records and combined with the style of the Yi custom tomb construction at that time. In 1988, The State Council approved it as a national key cultural relic protection unit.

She Xiang plaza

In order to express the memory and reverence for this outstanding woman, in 2008, Gulin County built Gulin She Xiang Incense Square on the occasion of the centennial county celebration.

Cultural image