Lady Ma of Fufeng (扶风马氏, d. 190) was a Chinese noblewoman from the late Eastern Han dynasty. She was referred to as the wife of Huangfu Gui (皇甫规), a military general, in the Book of the Later Han, which records her biography but states that her name and provenance are unknown; however, the Tang dynasty text Shuduan (書斷) identifies her as Lady Ma of Fufeng. She was a skilled student of literature and an accomplished cursive calligrapher, widely admired as a good, beautiful, versatile, and educated woman, skilled at composition, she often helped draft documents in the cabinet of Huangfu family. She is best known for confronting Dong Zhuo, the warlord who usurped power from the Han dynasty for himself, after he tried to force her to marry him. Lady Ma was often celebrated as an example of moral integrity, standing up to the most powerful man of the time and remaining loyal to her family and the Han dynasty even during changes in power. Her case was recorded in Book of the Later Han in volume 84, "Biographies of Exemplary Women" (卷八十四列女傳第七十四). She was also immortalized in the historical book History of Love (情史) written by Feng Menglong, where her biography is found in volume 1, "Love and Chastity" (情贞类). Background Lady Ma married one of the Han's three prominent generals in Liang province, Huangfu Gui, who was the uncle of the general Huangfu Song. Huangfu Gui was from Anding. After Liang Ji was executed in 159, however, Huangfu Gui was appointed to the position of governor of Taishan. Between 158 and 167, during the last years of the reign of Emperor Huan, Huangfu Gui pacified the Qiang people in the north of China and was rewarded by appointment as Duliao General. He was stationed on the northern border for several years and won the love and respect of the Qiang people. Huangfu Gui had remarried when his first wife died, the year not recorded. Lady Ma was his second wife, her name and place of origin are not recorded in history. She was a talented woman who was good at writing and had extensive knowledge of literature, due to her ability to write articles she worked as a secretary, her work as secretary was widely admired. In 174 Huangfu Gui died. Lady Ma was widowed at a time when the Han Dynasty was crumbling due to corruption, numerous rebellions, and the rising power of warlords.

From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Overview

Lady Ma of Fufeng (扶风马氏, d. 190) was a Chinese noblewoman from the late Eastern Han dynasty. She was referred to as the wife of Huangfu Gui (皇甫规), a military general, in the Book of the Later Han, which records her biography but states that her name and provenance are unknown; however, the Tang dynasty text Shuduan (書斷) identifies her as Lady Ma of Fufeng. She was a skilled student of literature and an accomplished cursive calligrapher, widely admired as a good, beautiful, versatile, and educated woman, skilled at composition, she often helped draft documents in the cabinet of Huangfu family. She is best known for confronting Dong Zhuo, the warlord who usurped power from the Han dynasty for himself, after he tried to force her to marry him. Lady Ma was often celebrated as an example of moral integrity, standing up to the most powerful man of the time and remaining loyal to her family and the Han dynasty even during changes in power. Her case was recorded in Book of the Later Han in volume 84, "Biographies of Exemplary Women" (卷八十四列女傳第七十四). She was also immortalized in the historical book History of Love (情史) written by Feng Menglong, where her biography is found in volume 1, "Love and Chastity" (情贞类). Background Lady Ma married one of the Han's three prominent generals in Liang province, Huangfu Gui, who was the uncle of the general Huangfu Song. Huangfu Gui was from Anding. After Liang Ji was executed in 159, however, Huangfu Gui was appointed to the position of governor of Taishan. Between 158 and 167, during the last years of the reign of Emperor Huan, Huangfu Gui pacified the Qiang people in the north of China and was rewarded by appointment as Duliao General. He was stationed on the northern border for several years and won the love and respect of the Qiang people. Huangfu Gui had remarried when his first wife died, the year not recorded. Lady Ma was his second wife, her name and place of origin are not recorded in history. She was a talented woman who was good at writing and had extensive knowledge of literature, due to her ability to write articles she worked as a secretary, her work as secretary was widely admired. In 174 Huangfu Gui died. Lady Ma was widowed at a time when the Han Dynasty was crumbling due to corruption, numerous rebellions, and the rising power of warlords.

From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Lady Ma of Fufeng (扶风马氏, d. 190) was a Chinese noblewoman from the late Eastern Han dynasty. She was referred to as the wife of Huangfu Gui (皇甫规), a military general, in the Book of the Later Han, which records her biography but states that her name and provenance are unknown; however, the Tang dynasty text Shuduan (書斷) identifies her as Lady Ma of Fufeng. She was a skilled student of literature and an accomplished cursive calligrapher, widely admired as a good, beautiful, versatile, and educated woman, skilled at composition, she often helped draft documents in the cabinet of Huangfu family. She is best known for confronting Dong Zhuo, the warlord who usurped power from the Han dynasty for himself, after he tried to force her to marry him.