272 Beijing Opera Performers - Li Yuanba - Number 122

Li Yuanba

Beijing Opera - "Four Flat Mountains"

Li Yuanba with a black bird-like face in "Four Flat Mountains," based on a story in Romance of the Tang Dynasty. Li Yuanba was a son of Li Yuan, the first emperor of the Tang Dynasty. He was a man if unusual strength and courage, and is generally regarded as one of the greatest warriors of the Tang period. When Sui emperor Yangdi in his wars to unify the country was stopped by a strong enemy force at the Four Flat Mountains, he called upon Li Yuanba for help.

The Tang armies were very disciplined, especially the veterans that fought under Taizong's command. Given that the Tang armies were under the command of Li Shimin (Tang Taizong), Li Jing, Su Dingfang, Fei Xingjiang, and other great military geniuses, the leadership and tactics employed would have been second to none. Fearless and valiant Chinese generals such as the great Li Yuanba (the equivalent of Lu Bu), Weichi Jingde (leader of the fearsome Wa Gang Militia of the Sui Dynasty), Qin Qiong (equivalent of either Guan Yu or Zhang Fei), or Cheng Yaoyin (almost no one could survive three rounds in a duel with him).