Guan Suo


Guan Suo is a fictional character of the Three Kingdoms period of China. He is often depicted as the third son of the general Guan Yu. He is not mentioned in historical records, and appears only in folk tales and in the historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms. He was said to have served in the state of Shu Han as a military general.

In folklore and literature

Little is known about Guan Suo, as many tales about him were passed down in the form of folk culture instead of textual works. In the 14th-century historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Guan Suo was described as a capable warrior, and was involved in Zhuge Liang's Southern Campaign against the Nanman.
Guan Suo was very popular among the girls because of his handsome appearance. In a Chinese opera play, Guan Suo Play, he was described as a man "seven chi tall, with a face like a peach blossom".
In some stories, he has many wives. The first is called Bao Sanniang, followed by Wang Linggong's two daughters Wang Yue and Wang Tao, and the fourth one is Huaman, a fictional daughter of Meng Huo.
In folk tales, Guan Suo has another name – "Hua Guan Suo", which literally means "Flower Guan Suo". It is said that Guan Suo used this name before he met his father Guan Yu. "Hua" was the family name of his martial arts master Hua Yue in Banshidong, Mount Qiuqu.
Sources such as Genealogy of the Guan Family, Guang Yi Si Dian and Kaozheng on the Holy Emperor's Genealogy claim that Guan Suo's courtesy name was Weizhi.

In popular culture

, a fictional character in the classical novel Water Margin, was nicknamed "Sick Guan Suo" because he resembles Guan in appearance, but has a lighter skin tone.
Guan Suo is featured as a playable character in the seventh instalment of Koei's Dynasty Warriors video game series.