ABSTRACT
Zhao Feiyan (32 b .c .-I a .d .) was a court dancer who became Empress Xiaocheng of the Western (Former) Han dynasty. Orig inally named Feng Yizhu, she was the child of poor residents of Chang’an who abandoned her shortly after her birth. After she survived three days of exposure, her parents were shamed into taking her back. As a youth, she roamed the streets with her younger sister He De looking for food; they were taken in by Zhao Lin, who raised them as his own daughters. Later Feng Yizhu worked as a servant in the home of Yang Azhu, where she eagerly learned singing and dancing. Because of her slender figure and superior performances, she became known as Feiyan (flying swallow).
