How Did Empress Wu Change Throughout The Tang Dynasty

The Tang Dynasty is an important aspect of Chinese history.  Lasting from 618 AD to 907 AD, it received the nickname “The Golden Age of Ancient China” because it was a very prosperous time.  This powerful empire came into control when the reign of the Sui Dynasty before it ended.

Wu Zetian was born in 624 in Wenshui County, Shanxi Province. In 655 Wu was promoted to the position of Empress. In their time having a woman ruler was unnatural, it was said that Empress Wu was a successful ruler. The Tang dynasty (618-906 AD) was a time of freedom for women. After five years of Wu marriage she took an active part in state affairs and took over the administration after her husband's stroke.

In 690, Empress Wu assumed the title of emperor for herself –the lone woman to act as emperor in Chinese imperial history – thereby finally facilitating the great improvement in China that Wu’s legacy left for women, the Buddhist clergy and the classes less fortunate than the aristocracy. Despite her despotism in ascending to

In the Qin state, a growing leader was about to prosper. Legends says a wealthy merchant who is acquainted with King Zhuangxiang of Qin came to him one day in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty (770-256 BCE). His name was Lu Buwei. On that day, Lu Buwei had arranged with the king to meet his lovely wife, Zhao Ji. As soon as they met, the King Zhuangxiang of Qin felt an attraction to her. Eventually, Zhao Ji became the mistress of King Zhuangxiang of Qin and in 259

Empress Wu Zetian, the only woman to rule China, ruled during the Tang dynasty, but exerted cruel and malicious methods to gain power. She was born with the name Wu Zhao into a wealthy family and learned to write, read, and play music. Because of her beauty and intelligence, Wu became Emperor Tsung’s fifth favorite concubine, or

Emperor Wudi’s greatest achievement was his vast territorial expansion, taking over other empires and tribes, but that success came at the expense of his country’s welfare because he abused his power to protect himself and fund his military. His perspective on a great dynasty is a dynasty with a lot of power and a thriving economy. Wudi was somewhat successful because he conquered a lot of lands and boosted the economy. In the long run and along the process, however, he hurt his economy and people along the way and in the long run. Emperor Wudi’s powerful authority combined with a rich government to fund the strong military led to extensive campaigns at the expense of his country’s welfare.

From 618-907, the unprecedented leniency and tolerance of the Tang dynasty created a large hyper power, with alliances and trading and such. This empire left a lasting impression on the Chinese. “These and other factors converged to produce a dynasty more tolerant of foreign cultures, religions, and influences than any other in Chinese history.” Taizong was the first emperor of the tang dynasty and set the precedent for his successors. His main goal was to establish equality throughout the regions. He achieved this and became “the first Chinese ruler to establish dominion over the steppes.” As the Tang rule grew larger and larger, it engulfed areas like Manchuria, Vietnam, and parts of Iran. The way they chose to handle the commerce and diplomacy

The Tang was a very aristocratic society that is known for being the “Golden Age” in Chinese history, with some of the greatest developments in the society occurring, (CD Benn, 2002). The dynasty made the unheard-of move of allowing women to sit for the Imperial examination and serve as government officials, with women enjoying the unprecedented power in politics (CD Benn, 2002). Charles Benn’s book, “China’s Golden Age: Everyday Life in the Tang dynasty”, is a secondary source in the form of a book, published in 2002. He is a professor studying Chinese history, in particular, the Tang dynasty, and in his publication, details the lives of Chinese people in this dynasty. Women had much more freedom than seen in any dynasty before it and it gave women a voice and saw women with almost as equal rights in society, with women finally being able to enjoy the privilege of education and marriage

Empress Wu Zetian of Tang Dynasty. She was one of the concubines of Emperor Taizong; she was the empress of Emperor Gaozong; she was the mother of Emperor Zhongzong and Emperor Ruizong; she was once a nun in the temple. But her most glorious title was that

EXTENSION HISTORY DRAFT 3 How has portrayal of Empress Wu changed in regards to contextual ideologies? Empress Wu was the first and only female emperor of China in more than four millennia. She is the only recorded woman to rule China in her own right. She began ruling through puppet emperors from 665 to 690, which was unprecedented in Chinese history, she then broke new ground again when she founded her own dynasty in 690, the Zhou Dynasty and ruled personally under the name Emperor Shengshen from 690 to 705.

Wu Zhao belonged to the Tang Empire, which according to the author which “…was a true empire, encompassing many lands, many peoples, and many ideologies. Multi ethnic and cosmopolitan, Tang China was perfectly suited for the ascent of a historical anomaly like Wu Zhao…” (Rothschild, 2008, p. 11) In a sense, there was a conflict of traditional Confucian values which promoted a patriarchal society and the liberal Steppe culture which gave women more freedom and rights. China at that time was a cocktail of these cultures which led to a significant impact on the lifestyle and values of peoples in that era. Women were bold and tough, and unlike earlier societies, were no longer confined socially and sexually (Rothschild, 2008, p. 12). While did not exist a perfect equality between men and women, women of that era were allowed to live without hiding under the dominance of the male Yang. As the author talks of the Silk Road, it is mentioned that,”…In this free-wheeling milieu, women donned men’s attire and rode horses…” (Rothschild, 2008, p. 15) .This “cosmopolitan” (Rothschild, 2008, p. 16) society was the foundation for the Tang Empire. Another important factor was the prevalence of Buddhism as a religion of the masses. Buddhism, in itself, helped united much of Asia, and was a common platform for men and women, unlike in Confucianism where

Many people argued that Empress Dowager Cixi accelerated the speed of the demise of the Qing dynasty. Cixi might be a blasting fuse but she was not accounted for the final fall of the dynasty. The actions Cixi took had profoundly changed the foundation of feudal China so as to push China forward into a modern stage. Although many historical data suggested that whatever Cixi had done were to consolidate her authority and personal status. But no matter what, the impact on the country was obvious. Cixi broke the previous traditions from Confucianism that had been lasted for centuries. Tensions between the Manchus and Han Chinese had been greatly improved, which made a great contribution to China for later unification. Under the reign of the Empress Dowager, the social structure had undergone a series of changes. Qing 's demise is doomed, this was resulted from issues that had stacked up from previous generations. Moreover, Cixi did her best to secure China’s status in the world in such a chaotic period in history. She made undeniable contributions to China.

We will look at Wu Zetian, the first female ruler in China, was born in 624. Per parents were rich and of noble families, besides the straighter end results of her move violently to expand and uphold ultimate power, Wu's leadership resulted in significant consequences about social class in Chinese culture and in relation to circumstances hold up for Taoism, Buddhism, education, and writing. Wu Zetian also had a colossal impact leading the sculptures at the Qianling Mausoleum of the Longmen Grottoes and the "Wordless Stele", on top of the building of some most important constructions and bronze castings that do not continue to exist. Hatshepsut, on the other hand, was born in the 18th Dynasty (a powerful group or family that maintains its position for a considerable time) recognized the trade system that had been distressed at some point in the Hyksos profession of Egypt all through the Second Intermediate Period, thus building the riches of the

Considering the events of her life, literary allusions to Wu Zetian can carry several connotations: a woman who has inappropriately overstepped her bounds, the hypocrisy of preaching compassion while simultaneously engaging in a pattern of corrupt and vicious behavior, and ruling by pulling strings in the background. For many centuries, Wu was used by the Chinese establishment as an example of what can go wrong when a woman is placed in charge. Such sexist opposition to her was only lifted during the late 1960s, when Mao Zedong 's wife Jiang Qing rehabilitated Wu as part of a propaganda campaign

This piece centers of the life of Xue Susu and her impact on Chinese history. The author presents this history as one often debated in the timeline of events as well as constructed through multiple accounts. Xue Susu was a well known and respected courtesan in the Ming Dynasty. She was widely admired for a variety skills such as poetry, painting, calligraphy, horse back riding, archery and martial arts. With these skills, she embodied the ideal beauty standards of that time with beauty, talent and virtue.