Zhao Feiyan (45 BC- 1BC), also named Zhao Yizhu, is known in Chinese history for her stunning beauty and impeccable dancing skills in the history of China. Growing up she was assigned to the household of Princess Yang’a (陽 阿 公主), the sister of Emperor Cheng.
There she became a dancer and was given the name that she would be known for – Feiyan- flying swallow, because she was so slender and so agile in dance that she appeared like a flying swallow. It was her dancing agility and her downright beautiful figure that became her legacy. After she became empress during the Han Dynasty to her husband Emperor Cheng, she was largely replaced in the emperor’s affections by her sister Zhao Hede.
Legend has it that Zhao Feiyan mixed special herbal teas to keep her figure slim. So, in China her name has come to encapsulate this idea of female slender beauty. From this millennium-old legend, a number of green herbal tea brands developed over the centuries, all of which are marketed under the central name Feiyan Teas. In fact, all brands of Feiyan Tea come decorated with the image of this legendary Chinese beauty and as there are numerous makes of Feiyan tea on the market, it is confusing for the customer to tell one apart from another.