Wang Zhaojun
During the Han period (206 BC-220 AD), Lady Wang Zhaojun (王昭君, known as one of the Four Beauties [四大美人] in ancient China) departed mainland to the west and married the Grand Khan of the Huns. The marriage was meant to maintain peace between the two ancient countries. On her way to the west, she carried a "pipa" on the horse. Looking back today, her "pipa" must have been a ruan-type instrument with a round sound box, since the pear-shaped "pipa" was not brought to China until the Northern Wei Dynasty after the Han Dynasty. However, in almost all the portraits and dramas, Lady Zhaojun's "pipa" is displayed inaccurately. The "pipa" is usually shown with a pear-shaped sound box (as in today's "pipa"), rather than a round sound box.