蔡文姬

Her personal name was 蔡琰. Carried off by Xiongnu horsemen in the chaos of the 190s, she lived among them for twelve years and bore a Xiongnu prince two sons. 曹操, an old friend of her father 蔡邕, ransomed her around 207. Back home she wrote out about four hundred of her father's lost writings from memory.

She is credited with 《悲愤诗》 'Poem of Grief and Anger' and the song cycle 《胡笳十八拍》 'Eighteen Songs of a Nomad Flute'. Her homecoming, 文姬归汉, is a favorite subject of painting and Peking opera.