Lion Dance & the Romance of the Three Kingdoms

June 1, 2026|Cai Tse

If you've been a lion dancer for any amount of time, you may have heard of these three names: Liu Bei (劉備), Guan Yu (關羽), and Zhang Fei (張飛). These are the names of real legendary figures who lived during China's Three Kingdoms Era (220–280 AD), a time when China was rife with corruption and civil war. Their numerous feats of conquest have been dramatised in novels, TV shows, films, and games, but the most definitive retelling is considered one of China’s Four Great Classic Novels: ‘Romance of the Three Kingdoms’.

The Story of the Three Kingdoms

This massive tome has more than 120 chapters and nearly a thousand characters, its events based on the Records of the Three Kingdoms which is an historical documentation of the events of this period. It is often said that the Romance of the Three Kingdoms is 7-parts fact and 3-parts fiction, though it covers the most important events accurately in a dramatised and engaging manner.

The story of the Three Kingdoms has little to do with 'romance' in the modern-day definition of the word, but when we look into the word's archaic origins, a 'romance' refers to 'tales told of adventures in chivalry and heroism' - an apt description of this novel's immense narrative.

Now, let's look at the novel’s Chinese title '三國演義', which roughly translates to:

三國 (saam1 gwok3): three countries
演 (jin2): to perform
義 (ji6): righteousness, justice, loyalty

The 'romance', one could argue, might refer to the enduring 義 (ji6) - loyalty - demonstrated by these three sworn brothers as they fight numerous conflicts across the land, switching allegiances, getting separated, and facing temptations, only to battle their way back to each other's side again, against all odds. One could see it as a 'brotherly romance'.

The 'Three Kingdoms' the title refers to are the three dynastic states established by three self-proclaimed emperors well after years and years of battle had torn through China.

Cao Wei led by Cao Pi (Cao Cao's son)

Shu Han led by Liu Bei

Eastern Wu led by Sun Quan.

Liu Bei - 劉備

Liu Bei came from a poor family, weaving and selling sandals with his mother to help make money. During this time, the Han Dynasty was plagued with corruption and there was a rising force known as the Yellow Turban Rebellion. Liu Bei wanted to help join the fight against the rebels, but he knew he couldn’t do it alone. That is when he met Zhang Fei, a local butcher, and the two of them then met Guan Yu, who appeared to have some considerable military knowledge.

The three of them found a common desire to protect the Han Empire from the Yellow Turban Rebellion. They raised a small army of willing fighters and swore an oath of brotherhood in the peach garden, to defend the people and to protect each other.

“今劉備、關羽、張飛雖然異姓，既結為兄弟, 則同心協力救困扶危，上報國家下安黎庶；不求同年同月同日生，但願同年同月同日死。”

”… we ask not the same year, month and day of birth, but wish the same year, month, and day of death.”

Artist's rendition of the scene Oath of the Peach Tree. Illustration by Cai Tse.

And thus, Liu Bei became the oldest brother, Guan Yu the second brother, and Zhang Fei the third and youngest of the three brothers. It is believed the Oath of the Peach Garden is a fictional retelling of events. While there are no historical records of such an event occurring except to say that they were very much like brothers, this scene has become an important cultural metaphor for the bond of brotherhood.

They summoned a blacksmith who forged a weapon for each of them:

For Liu Bei, a pair of vintage swords.
For Guan Yu, a polearm with a large curved blade called the Green Dragon Crescent Saber
For Zhang Fei, a 4-meter (13 feet) long spear called the Serpent Spear.

During his time, Liu Bei would be seen switching allegiances constantly in an effort to establish a base of operations for himself and his brothers. On numerous occasions he and his brothers would find themselves between two larger conflicting warlords and would be made to fight for a side in order to secure their continued survival.

After many years of struggle and nothing to show for it, Liu Bei lamented his situation. He met an old hermit who told him about two great advisors who went by the nicknames: Sleeping Dragon, and Fledgling Phoenix. It is here that Liu Bei meets Zhuge Liang (诸葛亮), the famous strategist behind Liu Bei's emerging as the self-declared emperor of the state of Shu in 221.

Guan Yu - 關羽

Guan Yu was quick to establish himself as a brave and honourable warrior. He had proven his strength early on in a duel against powerful enemy forces where weaker warriors had failed. Warlord Cao Cao, who would become one of Liu Bei's biggest adversaries, had witnessed this battle and would not soon forget this incredible display of power and bravado from Guan Yu.

At one point in the story, all three brothers would find themselves going to war under Cao Cao's employ, but when Cao Cao discovers that Liu Bei had planned to betray him, he attacked the brothers. Zhang Fei and Liu Bei fled in opposite directions, leaving Guan Yu, who was willing to fight to the death in defense of Liu Bei's honour. But Cao Cao strongly admired this brave warrior and instead of killing him, negotiated the terms of his surrender.

Guan Yu would ultimately surrender to Cao Cao, but under three conditions:

He would be surrendering to Emperor Xian, and not to Cao Cao.
He would secure the safety of his sisters-in-law, Liu Bei's wives.
He would be free to return to Liu Bei's side as soon as he learns of Liu Bei's whereabouts.

Cao Cao agreed to these terms, confident that he would be able to win Guan Yu over to his side completely. Cao Cao showered Guan Yu with gifts and the fastest horse in the land, and Guan Yu would win numerous battles in Cao Cao's name.

Upon learning that Liu Bei was still very much alive, Guan Yu immediately resolved to go to his brother's side. Cao Cao honoured Guan Yu's decision to leave as a condition of his surrender. However, it would take days for the message to let Guan Yu pass to reach Cao Cao's generals stationed at various barricades up north, so by the time Guan Yu reached them, he was met with resistance. Believing him a traitor, Cao Cao's generals attacked. Thus begins the well-told story of Guan Yu's perilous Journey of 1000-li (500km) to return to his brother's side. Guan Yu slew six of Cao Cao's generals and broke through five major checkpoints as he traveled up north to Liu Bei's last known whereabouts.

Guan Yu's incredible feats of loyalty doesn't end there. Several years later, this brave warrior would ultimately die at the hands of Emperor Sun Quan (one of the three warring states), after being captured in an ambush on his way back to Liu Bei's side. Much like Cao Cao, The Wu emperor admired this warrior's great strength and bravery, and demanded that Guan Yu surrender and join them. In what would be Guan Yu's final act of loyalty to his brothers, he refused to join the Wu Empire. Guan Yu was executed.

Liu Bei, fueled by intense hatred and driven by a burning vengeance, launched an attack on the Wu empire against Zhuge Liang's best advice. Thus beginning a series of tragedies that ended the three kingdom period.

His story became so embedded in Chinese culture that Guan Yu was soon deified as the god of loyalty and righteousness. The cultural hero is worshipped today by much of East Asia, with shrines and temples built in his name.

Zhang Fei - 張飛

A formidable warrior, along with his brothers Guan Yu and Liu Bei. Admittedly, the novel doesn't spend much time following Zhang Fei and his pursuits. It is largely his association with his brothers that his character is given any time on stage. He is well known for his short temper, which has gotten him in trouble on numerous occasions.

At one point, an enemy soldier named Lu Bu sought refuge with Liu Bei, but Zhang Fei hated this man. Liu Bei would leave their base to go to battle, leaving Zhang Fei in charge while Lu Bu stayed with them. The novel tells that one night during a party, Zhang Fei got drunk and attacked Lu Bu. Zhang Fei was unable to win in the ensuing battle against Lu Bu and fled the province to join up with Liu Bei.

Zhang Fei's more famous feat was his incredible bluff at Changban Bridge to hold off Cao Cao's entire pursuing army. Zhang Fei had only twenty riders with him at the time and with only the power of his voice and a clever bluff, sent Cao Cao's army fleeing in terror.

Atop the bridge, Zhang Fei would shout, repeatedly, and with such confidence:

"I am Zhang Fei! Come fight me to the death!"

During his time under Cao Cao's employ, Guan Yu had told him about Zhang Fei's incredible strength. Bolstered by what Guan Yu had once told him, Cao Cao and his army were intimidated into a full retreat.

Three Kingdoms and Lion Dance

On the back of this timeless story of brotherhood came several retellings and dramatizations across Chinese Opera, film, and even lion dance. When film hadn't been invented, the entertainment of those times were stage operas. The martial arts community would fashion their lion heads after the Chinese opera masks and decorative headdresses that completed their elaborate costumes.

Lion dance, like much of Chinese theatre back then, aimed not only to entertain, but to tell a story through music and performance, and what better, more timeless story to tell than that of Liu Bei and his faithful brothers, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei.

And so, lion heads would differentiate these three great characters like so: Guan Yu with black fur and a red face, much like its theatrical counterpart, Zhang Fei with black fur and a green face, and Liu Bei as the eldest brother with white fur and a yellow face.

The story of this legendary three continues to inspire generations of performers today. They are more than just characters from old stories, but an embodiment of principles and values that lion dance teams today strive to live by. That became the inspiration behind our collection of illustrated lion head vinyl stickers, each designed to capture the distinct energy of Guan Yu, Liu Bei, and Zhang Fei in a contemporary way, while honouring their legacy.

> Discover the Three Kingdoms lion head collection.