'Foundation General': Chinese History's Real Powder-and-Rouge Commanders

In early 2026, the Chinese period drama Zhu Yu, starring Zhang Linghe, sparked public mockery for its pristine makeup and gleaming armor on the battlefield—viewers dubbed the hero a 'foundation general'. Yet the Beijing Evening News article 'Why Does a General Wear Foundation?' by Cai Hui shows this is not a modern invention. In the Six Dynasties era (222-589 CE), aristocratic men embraced soft, feminine-style beauty: powder, perfume, lipstick, and delicate physiques. He Yan's famously pale face made Emperor Wei Ming suspect cosmetics; he tested it with a hot wheat dish. Yan Zhitui criticized noble sons for being fragile, unused to walking or riding horses; one official, Wang Fu, even called a horse a tiger. General Wang Gong wore a 4.5-metre ceremonial battle robe embroidered with dragons and phoenixes but failed as commander and was captured. Yet Xie Xuan, another 'foundation general' style nobleman, was genuinely brilliant, defeating Former Qin at the Fei River. Han Zigao, described as woman-like in beauty, was a daring warrior who once charged with an injured neck. The distinction was not appearance but competence: Wang Gong lost, Xie Xuan and Han Zigao won. The real problem was an aristocratic system that bred softness, not the cosmetics themselves. History's verdict favors character, decision-making, and skill over surface shine.