Lords of the Xiang River

The 'Chu Ci' ('Songs of Chu') contains two hymns in its 'Jiu Ge' ('Nine Songs') section—'Xiangjun' and 'Xiangfuren'—ritual songs composed by the ancient Chu people to worship the divine consorts of the Xiang River. One tradition identifies them as the spirits of Ehuang and Nüying, the two consorts of Emperor Shun. In 'Xiangfuren', the verse reads: 'The Emperor’s daughters descend upon the northern islet; their distant gaze fills me with sorrow. Softly blows the autumn wind; ripples stir across Dongting Lake, and leaves drift down from the trees.' The two deities yearn for and seek each other, casting away jade pendants and ritual belts, gathering fragrant herbs like du-ruo to convey their distant affections—yet ultimately wander in melancholy, thwarted by insurmountable barriers. Legend holds that the two consorts wept bitterly for Shun at Cangwu, their tears staining the green bamboo stalks with dark spots, thus giving rise to the famed 'spotted bamboo' or 'Xiangfei bamboo'. Their poignant, tender tale has endured through millennia as the quintessential emblem of loyal, unswerving love.