Wu Zetian: The Unprecedented Empress of China
National Women’s Month 2023 Feature
Culture | Mitchel Rey
Since 1988, National Women’s Month has not only been a celebration of the social, cultural, economic, and political achievements of women but has also been an avenue for discussing gender equality issues and concerns. Historically, societal bias and prejudice has made it difficult for women to come into power, but difficult doesn’t mean impossible. In the spirit of this month’s theme, this article features Wu Zetian, the only female emperor to exist in more than 3,000 years of Chinese history.
Abante babae!
Wu Zetian, also known as Wu Zhao or simply Wu, was an ambitious woman with looks that matched her sharp intelligence and competence in politics. Luckily for her, she was born during the Tang dynasty, a golden age where customs were relatively more liberal and women had more freedom compared to their predecessors.
She was the daughter of Wu Shihuo, a military strategist whose presence was favored at the royal court of Emperor Taizong. It is said that after the emperor heard of her beauty, she was ordered to become his concubine at the young age of 14.
Wu maintained a close relationship with the emperor but was never able to bear him any children. After his death, custom decreed that she shave her head and live the rest of her life in confinement as a Buddhist nun. However, Wu was saved from this fate when she caught the eye of Emperor Gaozong, the son of the deceased and the successor to the throne.
Historical accounts present two possibilities on how Wu and Emperor Gaozong came to fall in love with each other, with the first scenario being that their relationship began in the nunnery that Wu was sent to. The other, more scandalous alternative is that the two were already intimate while Emperor Taizong was still alive. In any case, Wu was whisked away from the Buddhist temple and reinstated as Emperor Gaozong’s second rank concubine.
Back at the palace, Wu successfully gained the emperor’s favor and became the new empress. She bore him four sons: Li Hong, Li Xian, a second Li Xian, and Li Dan. At some point, Emperor Gaozong suffered from a stroke and became blind, after which he had Wu handle the state affairs in his stead. Again, historical accounts vary on whether this delegation of power was done out of love or out of fear.
Upon the emperor’s passing, the first Li Xian became successor to the throne as the Zhongzong emperor. It is said, however, that Wu was displeased by his weak ruling, and so she had him deposed, exiled, and replaced with her youngest son, Li Dan or the Ruizong Emperor.
Everyone was well aware of the fact that the current emperor was a mere figurehead, a puppet whose true master was his mother. Perhaps Wu realized the pointlessness of such theatrics, as she soon dared to usurp the throne and confer upon herself the title of the “Holy and Divine Emperor” of the new Zhou dynasty.
We support women’s rights…
Wu reigned as the sole leader of the country for 15 years. To prove her worthiness and legitimize her rule, she appealed to the three main religions at the time: Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism. She did so by building a godlike image, relating herself to powerful female divinities and to influential women.
Wu highly valued women’s rights, and she did not stop at empowering just herself. She also tried to raise the social status of women by installing lower level female officials and having scholars acknowledge exemplary women.
Although this did not give them any real power, their presence in the court served as a reminder that women were also important constituents of the country.
Aside from her feminist campaigns, Wu had many great achievements that allowed China to prosper under her rule. She listened to anonymous concerns from common citizens and made efforts to improve their lives. She also established several policies, including one for the meritocratic recruitment of officials, another for supporting the agricultural sector and economic development, and yet another for protecting the sovereignty of the country.
…but we also support critiquing women’s wrongs.
Alas, many Chinese historians were prejudiced against Wu, as they believed that she disrespected the traditional Confucian values. Their stern disapproval has marred her legacy with greatly exaggerated stories about her ruthlessness and penchant for violence.
Although she is now viewed more favorably than in the past, it is still difficult to discern exactly how genuine these stories are, as well as the extent of their truth.
One of the rumors that plagued Wu is that of her cruelty to her opponents, both real and perceived. She established a secret police to monitor her opposition, eventually having them dismissed, exiled, and executed. She crushed any revolts attempted against her and appointed officials who employed extensive torture against her enemies.
It was mentioned earlier that Emperor Gaozong brought Wu back to the palace as his second rank concubine, meaning that she still had to compete with Empress Wang and the first rank concubine Xiao for his affections. Wu supposedly smothered her own infant daughter and blamed the murder on the last person to have held her, namely Empress Wang. The emperor believed Wu and dismissed the empress; after being promoted to the vacated position, Wu had the former empress and the first concubine put to death.
Babae ka, hindi babae lang!
Controversies aside, Wu remains a renowned figure as the only woman to have ever reigned in the patriarchal society of Imperial China. Beginning from the humble position of an emperor’s concubine, she rose against all odds to become a ruler in her own right. The establishment of her empire was crucial to the lasting unity of the country.
Let us take Wu’s story as a powerful reminder that no matter the circumstances we find ourselves in, women are more than capable of rising to the challenge and going above and beyond expectations.
References
Dash, M. (2012). The demonization of Empress Wu. Retrieved from https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-demonization-of-empress-wu-20743091/
FitzGerald, C. P. (2023, February 10). Wuhou. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Wuhou
Ferla, H. (2021). From concubine to ruler: The lives of Emperor Wu Zetian and Empress Dowager. History in the making, 14(7), 103–134. Retrieved from https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1234&context=history-in-the-making
Lee, Y. T. (2015). Wu Zhao: Ruler of Tang dynasty China. Education about Asia, 20(2), 14–18. Retrieved from https://www.asianstudies.org/publications/eaa/archives/wu-zhao-ruler-of-tang-dynasty-china/
Philippine Commission on Women. (n.d.). National women’s month. Retrieved from https://pcw.gov.ph/national-womens-month/
Henan Museum. http://en.chinampr.com/exhibitor-post/id/71.html
China Connect University. https://chinaconnectu.com/2012/01/23/wu-zetian-w%C7%94-zetian-%E5%90%B4%E6%98%8C%E7%A1%95w%C7%94-zetian-%E5%90%B4%E6%98%8C%E7%A1%95-wu-zetian/
