Guan Yu

Lore & Background

Guan Yu was from Xie County, Hedong Commandery. His original courtesy name was Changsheng. He was studious and interested in the Zuo zhuan, which he could fluently recite. He fled his hometown for unknown reasons and went to Zhuo Commandery. During the Yellow Turban Rebellion in the 180s, he and Zhang Fei joined a volunteer militia formed by Liu Bei, assisting Colonel Zou Jing. They were known as stalwart and strong men, and Liu Bei cherished them as brothers. When Liu Bei became Minister of Pingyuan, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were appointed Majors of Separate Command. Guan Yu was noted for kindness towards his soldiers and fealty to Liu Bei, but had no respect for the gentry.

In 200, after Cao Cao defeated Liu Bei, Guan Yu was captured and brought to Xu. Cao Cao treated him respectfully and had Emperor Xian appoint him as a Lieutenant-General. At the Battle of Boma, Guan Yu charged towards Yuan Shao's general Yan Liang, decapitated him, and lifted the siege. Cao Cao recommended Guan Yu for the peerage of Marquis of Hanshou Village. Despite Cao Cao's generosity, Guan Yu intended to return to Liu Bei. After slaying Yan Liang, he sealed Cao Cao's gifts, wrote a farewell letter, and left to find Liu Bei. Cao Cao stopped his subordinates from pursuing him.

After Liu Bei gained Yi Province in 214, Guan Yu governed Jing Province for about seven years. In 219, while he was fighting Cao Cao's forces at the Battle of Fancheng, Liu Bei's ally Sun Quan broke the alliance and sent Lü Meng to conquer Jing Province. Guan Yu learned of the loss after his defeat at Fancheng, was captured in an ambush by Sun Quan's forces, and executed at Linju, Xiangyang Commandery (present-day Nanzhang County, Xiangyang City, Hubei).

Reader's Guide

Guan Yu's life was lionised and his achievements glorified after his death, leading to his deification during the Sui dynasty. Through generations of storytelling, culminating in the 14th-century historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, his deeds and moral qualities were greatly emphasized, making him one of East Asia's most celebrated paragons of loyalty and righteousness. He is remembered as a culture hero in Chinese culture and is still worshipped by many people of Chinese descent in China, Taiwan, and other countries. In religious devotion, he is reverentially called Emperor Guan or Lord Guan, and is a deity in Chinese folk religion, popular Confucianism, Taoism, and Chinese Buddhism. Small shrines to him are almost ubiquitous in traditional Chinese shops and restaurants. The authoritative historical source on his life is the Records of the Three Kingdoms by Chen Shou, annotated by Pei Songzhi in the fifth century. No explicit descriptions of his physical appearance exist in historical records, though Zhuge Liang once referred to his 'peerless beard'. Traditionally, he is portrayed as a red-faced warrior with a long beard, a depiction possibly derived from Romance of the Three Kingdoms or opera, where red faces represented loyalty and righteousness. In illustrations, he is shown wearing a green robe over body armour, and his weapon is depicted as a guandao named Green Dragon Crescent Blade.

Did You Know?

• Guan Yu's original courtesy name was Changsheng.
• He was interested in the ancient history book Zuo zhuan and could fluently recite lines from it.
• He was captured by Cao Cao's forces in 200 and later appointed as a Lieutenant-General by Emperor Xian.
• He was executed at Linju, Xiangyang Commandery, present-day Nanzhang County, Xiangyang City, Hubei.