You have probably never heard of Emperor Xuanzong, one of the mightiest leaders of China. We learned about him and his sad story on our 1995 trip to China. He ruled over China at the peak of its ancient power about 1300 years ago . But unfortunately, Xuanzong had what you might call a tragic flaw: he fell in love with the beautiful wife of one of his sons.

After we saw the Terra Cotta Army in Xian, we visited a nearby hot springs resort. And that's where we heard the story.