China’s First Female Emperor
At a glance, Dash (2012) remarks on Wu Zetian’s ruthless cruelty: “She killed her sister, butchered her elder brother, murdered the ruler, poisoned her mother. She is hated by gods and men alike.”. That being said, how did someone who is supposedly so wicked rise to power? Managing to break even the fortified glass ceiling of patriarchal ancient China.
On the Liangshan Mountain in China, in the Qianling mausoleum, stands a 7.53 meter tall uncharacterised stele that weighs 98.8 tons (Archive of the Government Website of Shaanxi Province, 2016). This massive monument marks the resting site of ancient China’s only female emperor, Wu Zetian. With a reign that lasted around 50 years, Wu’s rise to power did not come peacefully. Fueled by ambition, cunning, and wanton ruthlessness, Wu carved her name into the annals of history. However, her memorial stele was the first of its kind to remain uncharacterised in over 2000 years of Chinese history. Which begs the question, why is that so?
Becoming the Great Empress Consort of Tang
Wu Zetian was the daughter of a minor general, and was chosen for her beauty to enter the palace as a concubine to Emperor Taizong (Dash, 2012). She rose to empress status after convincing the ruling son of Emperor Taizong, Emperor Gaozong, to remove his original empress (Middleton, 2015). The method she allegedly used sheds light on her nature - she smothered a newborn daughter she had with Emperor Gaozong (Dash, 2012). Utilising the death of her own daughter, she blamed the death on Gaozong’s original empress and had her removed from the position (Dash, 2012). Moreover, the removal was not simple, Wu ordered the hands and feet of the original empress to be hacked off before having her body left to drown in a vat of wine (Dash, 2012).
Once free from the status of a palace concubine, the precedent was set for Wu’s bloody coming to power as Emperor Gaozong’s empress between the years 649CE - 683CE (Middleton, 2015). According to Middleton (2015), Wu ordered the execution of all court officials who stood against her and her supposed reign of tyranny began.
Empress Dowager Behind the Throne
After the death of Emperor Gaozong in 683CE, Wu Zetian relied heavily on her political cunning and ruthless decision making to eventually seize the throne for herself. As highlighted by Dash (2012), Wu exerted her influence from behind the throne after Gaozong’s death by ensuring that only her sons inherited the throne. However, as seen from the murder of her daughter, being a direct descendant of Wu Zetian does not shield a person from her schemes. The first of her sons that held the throne due to her manipulations, Li Zhe, was replaced by Wu due to his empress exerting too much power (Middleton, 2015). His replacement was a younger son of Wu Zetian, Ruizong, and although he sat on the throne it was Wu Zetian that maintained a solid grip on power (Middleton, 2015).
Welcoming the Empress Regent
Several years later, in 690CE, Ruizong abdicated the throne in favour of Wu Zetian which enabled her to at long last declare herself the new emperor of the new Zhou dynasty (Middleton, 2015). After officially becoming the ruler of the new Zhou dynasty Wu’s ruthless methods did not falter, but her rule was not without its merits. Perhaps a good example of her merit would be how she set up copper boxes within the capital to allow citizens to anonymously denunce each other (Dash, 2012). She would then act upon these anonymous submissions by passing legislation (Dash, 2012). Alas, according to Dash (2012), Wu maintained an effective secret police that would eliminate bureaucratic threats towards her, even enslaving families in the process.
In the wake of Wu’s rule, she also managed to implement a system of entrance examinations that was meritocratic and even pushed for what can be vaguely referred to as women’s rights (Dash, 2012). Although the deeds committed by Wu to acquire and retain power can be seen as ruthless, and may be very well the reason why her memorial stele was left unadorned, it may also be merely a matter of perspective. Dash (2012) makes valid points regarding this, especially the double standard that exists between male and female rulers. The violent and ruthless things that Wu has done would be criticised far less if she was male (Dash, 2012).
In conclusion, the reason why Wu Zetian’s memorial stele is uncharacterised cannot be set in stone as there is far too much evidence lacking. However, hints can be derived from how her followers viewed her as a person and a ruler. Regardless of the years of prosperity her rule brought about, she may be forever remembered by her ruthlessness instead (Dash, 2012). Perhaps the smooth and unmarked surface of her stele serves as a reminder of historical glass ceilings and what happens when they are shattered.
References
Primary Source:
Unknown, Uncharactered Stele, c. 684 BCE, Archive of the Government Website of Shaanxi Province from 2016, https://web.archive.org/web/20160405182604/
http://english.shaanxi.gov.cn/channel/print.shtml?%2Fhottopic%2Fqintangming%2Ftangdynasty%2F201301%2F30701_1
Secondary Source:
Dash, M. (2012), The demonization of empress Wu. Retrieved from: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-demonization-of-empress-wu-20743091/
Middleton, J. (2015). World Monarchs and Dynasties. New York, NY: Routledge.
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