Xishi is known as one of the Four Great Beauties of China. She lived around 500 BC, in the kingdom of Yue. At that time, China was divided into several kingdoms fighting for power. Wu had just annexed Yue, and the king of Yue was forced to give three years of service to the king of Wu. Seething from the humiliation of this experience, as soon as he was released the king of Yue plotted the downfall of his conqueror.
Fan-li, prime minister of Yue, was walking along the countryside one day when he came across Xishi, the most beautiful maiden he had ever seen in his life. He recruited her, taught her the art of poetry, song and dance, and transformed her into the most irresistible of all women. During the three years of her education, they fell in love with each other, but did not confess their true feelings until the journey to Wu, There, Xishi was presented as a tribute to the king of Wu, who fell so madly in love with her that he revealed all the state secrets to her. She managed to relay all this to Fan-li, thus enabling the king of Yue to finally destroy Wu. After the victory, Fan-li and Xishi quietly disappeared into the countryside, and spent the rest of their lives together.