Li Yannian
Li Yannian (died 90 BC) was a Chinese musician during the Han dynasty. He became a court musician during Emperor Wu's reign, but was eventually executed for treason. His wrote the song Jiaren Qu (literally: The Beauty Song), describing a lady with exceptional beauty.
Li Yannian
- Born
- 150
- Died
- 82
- Nationality
- China
- Occupation
- musician
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Jiarenqu
Jiarenqu
Upon hearing this song, the Emperor did not believe there could be such a woman on earth, but his sister Princess Pingyang mentioned Li has a younger sister who could match the description, so Emperor Wu took Li's sister Li Furen as a concubine. Yannian himself allegedly was homosexual. When Emperor re-established the Imperial Music Bureau, Li Yannian was appointed a musician in the court. Brother Li Guangli also became a general in the Han armies.
Jiarenqu (佳人曲, The Beauty Song) Book of the Later Han 67:34 • 北方有佳人, There is a beauty in the north, • 絕世而獨立. who stands out among the generations. • 一顧傾人城, One look will topple the men of the city. • 再顧傾人國. A second look will topple the men of the country. • 寧不知傾城與傾國. I would rather not know about toppled cities and toppled countries, • 佳人難再得. because a beauty of this caliber may not come around again!
Death, execution, and treason
Death, execution, and treason
After the death of his sister, Yannian's family began to lose Wu's favour. In 90 BC, much of the Li family was executed on multiple charges, including treason. According to one source, Li was executed in 90 BC during a struggle between the Li family and Empress Wei's family.
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Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Li Yannian (musician), revision 1235830403 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
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Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.漢書 : 傳 : 外戚傳 : 外戚傳上 - 北方有佳人 - 中國哲學書電子化計劃.
- 2.D. Twitchett & M. Loewe, 176
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 29 August 2026.
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