Mifei (Goddess of the Luo River)

Mifei was the daughter of Fuxi, who drowned in the Luo River and thereby became its river deity—a figure attested in Qu Yuan’s Chuci anthology, notably in the 'Lisao' ('Encountering Sorrow'), where he declares 'I seek Mifei’s abode', and in the 'Tianwen' ('Heavenly Questions'). Qu Yuan once commissioned the immortal Jianxiu as his matchmaker to court her, yet she, proud of her peerless beauty, remained aloof and unattainable. During the Three Kingdoms period, Cao Zhi, journeying past the Luo River, recalled Song Yu’s legendary account of the divine maiden before King Chu and composed his celebrated 'Rhapsody on the Goddess of the Luo River'. There he depicted her as 'graceful as a startled swan, supple as a meandering dragon; radiant as autumn chrysanthemums, luxuriant as spring pines', lamenting ultimately that 'the paths of mortals and deities are irrevocably apart, and I grieve that my prime years cannot seize this fleeting moment'. From then on, the Luo River Goddess became the quintessential embodiment of sublime feminine beauty in Chinese literature, inspiring generations of painters and calligraphers to render her image in art.