Two Qiaos
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According to Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the Two Qiaos, daughters of Qiao Xuan, were known as two of the great beauties of ancient China. Their names are not recorded, so they are referred to simply as Dà Qiáo (traditional Chinese: 大喬; simplified Chinese: 大乔) and Xiǎo Qiáo (traditional Chinese: 小喬; simplified Chinese: 小乔), literally "the elder Qiao" and "the younger Qiao".
The elder Qiao sister was married to Sun Ce, the lord of Wu; while Xiao Qiao was married to Zhou Yu. Sun Ce has two recorded children - A daughter whom was married to Lu Xun, and a posthumous son Sun Shao. It is not known if Da Qiao gave birth to either child.
In the novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the two Qiaos were one of the major causes of the Battle of Red Cliffs. Zhuge Liang manipulated Zhou Yu under the guise of advising him of Cao Cao's plot to obtain the Qiao sisters for himself. Enraged, Zhou Yu plotted with Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong to attack Cao Cao.
[edit] Modern references
- Both of the Qiao sisters are playable characters in the popular Koei video game series, Dynasty Warriors as well as Warriors Orochi. In both games, Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao wield twin fans. The differences between the two are very small but noticeable. This allows players to choose one sister over the other. However, in the recent installment of the series, Dynasty Warriors 6, Da Qiao was cut out, leaving Xiao Qiao left in the series. She does not have a Musou mode, but she is playable in free mode. For more information, see List of Dynasty Warriors characters. Interestingly enough, Da Qiao is shown with Xiao Qiao in a drawing for Dynasty Warriors 6.
- In Warriors Orochi, Da Qiao is a major helper to Orochi but is discovered for secretly helping Wu. Sun Ce, her husband, and the Tokugawa rescue her from Dong Zhuo and Sima Yi. Xiao Qiao, on the other hand, is one of the leaders in the resistant movement. In Warriors Orochi 2, Da Qiao and Sun Ce come as reinforcements for Sun Quan when he is faced against Kiyomori Taira. In Warriors Orochi 2, Xiao Qiao and Zhou Yu are reunited and work with Okuni to defeat Dong Zhuo.
- In Dream Mode in Warriors Orochi 2, Da Qiao works with Shang Xiang and Oichi to save their husbands. Xiao Qiao works with Zhen Ji and Nohime to save Da Qiao, Cao Pi, Xing Cai, Oichi, Ginchiyo, and Shang Xiang from Dong Zhuo's forces.
- Xiao Qiao is present in the film by John Woo, Red Cliff. She is played by Taiwanese supermodel Lin Chi-ling. In one trailer, Xiao is shown to be hitting a soldier with a torch, hinting that perhaps she might participate in the battle. Said scene is not present in the first film in the two-part series. Near the end of the film, it is surmised that Cao Cao's infatuation with Xiao Qiao is the cause of him invading Wu (and thus initiating the battle).
- The Two Qiaos were referenced in the game and anime series Koihime Musou, where they are named as Daikyō and Shōkyō. Both sisters serve as Shūyu's (Shūyu Kōkin - Meirin) personal "pets" that have the sole purpose of entertaining her. In the series, the two Qiaos are portrayed as identical twin sisters, but the only difference of the two is that Daikyō is a hermaphrodite, while Shōkyō is fully female.
