The Two Qiaos in Romance of the Three Kingdoms IX. Xiao Qiao is on the left and Da Qiao is on the right.
The Two Qiaos or the Two Qiaos of Jiangdong (江東の二喬) are:
Role in Games[]
In Dynasty Warriors, the Two Qiaos are two young maidens who fight on the battlefields for their husbands. Initially, their appearance and personalities were childlike; their attire and persona gradually mature within each consecutive title. For their first two appearances, their husbands do not praise or actively take notice of them. However, the husbands mention and become more protective of their wives in recent titles. Dynasty Warriors 5 has the stories for the Two Qiaos predominately focus on the romantic features between each wife and her husband. They also help defend Wan Castle with their husbands during a downloadable quest in Shin Sangoku Musou Multi Raid 2.
Romance of the Three Kingdoms sometimes offers a special event for their marriages. Portrayed as young yet refined women with a high amount of charm, they are usually resourceful for domestic affairs rather than battle. Both ladies usually survive their husbands' deaths, sometimes living several years until they pass away. They are harmonious warriors in the online adaption, not going into battle unless it's for an occasional adventure. One of the quests in the patches had players help their husbands obtain a gift for their wives.
Historical Information[]
The Two Qiaos, daughters of Qiao Xuan, were known as two of the great beauties of ancient China. Their names are not recorded, so they are referred to simply as Dàqiáo meaning "the elder Qiao" and Xiǎoqiáo meaning "the younger Qiao".
Historical records don't actually state that Sun Ce or Zhou Yu married Qiao Xuan's daughters. Some speculate, however, that the Qiao Xuan (橋公) in question may be a different person (橋玄) altogether. The daughters were supposedly married to Sun Ce and Zhou Yu in December 199 at Wancheng. Sun Ce was said to have called them the "Two Qiaos of Jiangdong", stating that though they were beautiful, it was the husbands who had the new duty of keeping them happy. After Daqiao lost her husband four months later, a few stories state that she could have disappeared with Liu Xun, a vassal of Yuan Shu. Xiaoqiao is given no other notable mentions in historical records.
Chinese Fiction[]
An illustration of the Two Qiaos.
In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, they were known for their beauty and it was said that their beauty put even the most beautiful flower to shame. Daqiao is only mentioned to have been at her husband's death bed. They are one of the main reasons why Zhou Yu agreed to go to war against Cao Cao for the Battle of Chibi, and why Cao Cao orchestrated an invasion of the southland. Zhuge Liang revealed to Zhou Yu that Cao Cao wanted to claim both of them for his wives, which enraged Zhou Yu.
Their father, Qiao Xuan, was later mentioned in chapter 54. Not realizing that Sun Quan's plan to marry his sister to Liu Bei was a ruse, he went to congratulate Lady Wu, who wept bitterly upon learning the news. Lady Wu complained about the affair and Liu Bei went to Qiao Xuan for aid. Qiao Xuan told Liu Bei to rely on Lady Wu's trust, which turned out for the best in the end.
Fenghuang Er Qiao, a Beijing opera, addresses both ladies as "Qiao Ching" and "Qiao Wan" respectively. Their father thought his daughters to be perfect matches for Sun Ce and Zhou Yu for the ladies were quite skilled in martial arts. He issued a martial arts competition between the four so the future husbands could prove themselves worthy and engage his daughters in battle. Depending on the adaption, they may do so by engaging in a sword fight or by hunting down tigers. Sun Ce and Zhou Yu prevail and then marry their talented wives. The idea of adding "big" and "little" for the Two Qiaos is said to have originated from this particular play.
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