Wu Zetian-the only Orthodox Female Emperor in Chinese History

Thursday, January 12, 2023

Wu Zhao, namely Wu Zetian, a statesman from the Tang Dynasty to the Wu Zhou Dynasty and the founding monarch of the Wu Zhou Dynasty (690-705), is also the only orthodox female emperor in Chinese history and one of the emperors with the oldest age to ascend the throne (67 years old) and the longest life span (82 years old).

Wu Zetian

Wu Zetian is the second daughter of Yu, a knight under the governor of Jingzhou. At the age of 14, he entered the harem. He was a talented person of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty and was given the name "Wumei". Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty granted Zhaoyi the title and became the queen after the "Abolishing Wang Liwu" incident in the sixth year of Yonghui (655). In the first year of the Shangyuan Dynasty (674), he added the symbol "Tian Hou", and was called "two saints" together with Gaozong to participate in the imperial government. After the death of Emperor Gaozong, as empress dowager of emperor Zhongzong and Emperor Ruizong of Tang Dynasty, she was called the imperial court system.

In the first year of Tianfu (690), Wu Zetian became the emperor, changed the country's name to Zhou, made Luoyang the capital, called "God capital", and established Wu Zhou. Before and after his reign, he was "observant and judgmental", had many strategies, knew people well, paid attention to the selection of talents, and created the palace examination, martial arts examination and official examination system. It also rewarded farmers and mulberry trees and reformed the administration of officials. At the same time, the imperial clan of the Tang Dynasty was killed wantonly, and the "cruel official politics" arose. Militarily, the four towns of Anxi were recovered and stabilized, which once brought back the post Turks. Gradually, extravagant and tyrannical students gradually become corrupt in their later years.

In the first year of the divine dragon (705), Wu Zetian was seriously ill. Prime Minister Zhang Cambodian launched the "divine dragon revolution", supported the restoration of the emperor Zhongzong of the Tang Dynasty and forced him to abdicate. After the restoration of the Tang Dynasty, Zhongzong was honored as "the great sage emperor of Zetian". In November of the same year, Wu Zetian died in Shangyang Palace at the age of 82. Zhongzong obeyed his last orders and renamed it "empress Zetian" and was buried in Qianling as Queen. Later, Lei posthumous title was "the holy queen of zetianshun".

Wu Zetian is extremely resourceful, involved in literature and history, and has a lot of poetic talent. There are "vertical arch collection" and "Golden Wheel collection", which have been lost. "Whole Tang poetry" has its poems.

Sign up for a free trial now!

FAQ / Tips

Certainly, we offer a complimentary 30 - minute trial lesson for you to experience our services before committing to a purchase.This will allow you to gain a better understanding of our qualified tutors, innovative teaching methods, comprehensive class materials, and more.We are committed to providing you with the highest level of service and ensuring your satisfaction with our courses.
At Chinese Learning, protecting our customers' personal information is a top priority. We have implemented robust security measures to safeguard your data and prevent any unauthorized access or disclosure. For further information on our privacy practices, please refer to our Privacy Policy, which outlines our commitment to data protection and privacy.
We offer highly flexible class schedules that cater to your needs, with lessons available from 7am to 10pm Beijing time, seven days a week.This allows you to conveniently take lessons at any time and from any location that suits your schedule.
Our students come from a wide range of ages, from 3 years old to over 80 years old. Our courses are tailored to each student's age and proficiency level to ensure they can receive maximum benefit and progress. Whether you want to learn Chinese as a second language or improve your existing Chinese skills, we can provide you with courses and resources that are suitable for you
Our instructors are highly skilled and experienced experts in Chinese language teaching, with proficiency in multiple languages. They hold at least a bachelor's degree in teaching Chinese as a foreign language, and possess extensive teaching experience and knowledge. Through a rigorous selection process and ongoing training, our instructors are equipped to provide students with authentic pronunciation, accurate language usage, and cultural background knowledge, all of which are essential for achieving mastery of the Chinese language.
We offer a referral program that rewards both you and your friend with free classes.To participate, simply refer a friend to our program and once they successfully enroll, both you and your friend will receive free classes.We appreciate your support and look forward to helping you and your friend achieve your language learning goals.