“She was so beautiful, even flowers got shy ” Meet Yang Guifei, one of China’s legendary Four Beauties. She was more than just a pretty face—she danced, played music, and loved lychees so much that the emperor had them delivered by express horse! But her life wasn’t all romance and poetry. In the middle of a rebellion, the emperor was forced to make a heartbreaking decision that turned her love story into a tragedy. In this short cultural story, learn what “羞花” (shaming the flowers) really means, and take a journey through Chinese idioms, history, and legends. Perfect for Chinese language learners and history lovers! Transcript 我们常用“闭月羞花、沉鱼落雁”这两个成语来形容一个女人很美。其实，这说的是中国古代四大美女的故事。今天我们就来说说其中的“羞花”——杨贵妃。 杨贵妃原名杨玉环，是唐朝皇帝唐玄宗最宠爱的妃子。传说有一天，她在花园里赏花，风吹过，她的样子比花还美，花儿看到她都“害羞”地低下了头。所以，人们用“羞花”来形容她的美貌。 除了长得美，杨玉环还会跳舞、弹琴，是一个很有才华的女子。她特别爱吃荔枝，唐玄宗为了让她每天都能吃到新鲜的，就让人从几千里外快马运来。有一首诗这样写道：“一骑红尘妃子笑，无人知是荔枝来”。 后来，唐朝发生了战争，皇帝带着杨贵妃一起逃难。路上的士兵觉得国家变乱都是因为她。为了让士兵安心，唐玄宗最后在马嵬坡下令赐死了杨贵妃。 如果你去西安旅游，可以去华清宫，那里是他们以前住的地方。也可以去马嵬坡遗址公园，详细了解杨贵妃的故事。 Exercises and English translation https://www.travelthroughchineselearning.com/blog/yang-guifei-the-ancient-chinese-beauty -- Hosting provided by SoundOn