Mo Xi Jie

Background

There is no exact information about the date and the place of her birth.

Career

Mo Xi was acquired by King Jie as a peace offering when he attacked the state of Youshi (in present-day Shandong Province). She was his favorite concubine until she fell out of favor when King Jie acquired two new beautiful women.

King Jie ignored the growing signs of conflict within his state and aggression from without, including the threat posed by Tang, ruler of the new state of Shang to the east, who was intent on overthrowing King Jie. Tang sent a spy by the name of Yi Yin to Xia, where the spy formed a relationship with Mo Xi. She accepted Yi Yin’s ideas, presumably meaning the overthrow of King Jie.

Tang eventually defeated and captured King Jie at Mingtiao (present-day Xia District in Shanxi Province) and exiled him. King Jie is said to have died in Nanchao on Lake Chaohu (the present-day city of Hefei in Anhui Province). His death brought an end to the Xia dynasty. There is no clear record of what happened to Mo Xi, although some sources claim she went with King Jie to Nanchao, where she died.

Achievements

• Mo Xi was known as one of the most notoriously known characters of Chinese history, who contributed to the fall of the Xia dynasty.

Personality

Mo Xi was beautiful, but lacked in virtue, being depraved and immoral.

Connections

Mo Xi was a favorite concubine of King Jie. King Jie was besotted with her and granted her every wish. However, King Jie tired of her, and she fell out of favor when he acquired two new beautiful women—Wan and Yan—during an expedition against the state of Minshan.

husband:

Jie

King Jie was the 17th and last ruler of the Xia dynasty of China from 1728 B.C to 1675 B.C.

References

• The Position of Woman in Early China According to the Lieh Nu Chuan, The Biographies of Chinese Women.
  1971
• Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women: Antiquity Through Sui, 1600 B.C.E. - 618 C.E This new volume of the "Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women" spans more than 2,000 years from antiquity to the early seventh century. It recovers the stories of more than 200 women, nearly all of them unknown in the West.
  1998