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Beautiful, intelligent and power-hungry: how Wu Zetian became China’s only female emperor
A legitimate ruler for 15 years – but de facto leader for years more than that – Wu Zetian is remembered as a complex character
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In ancient China, women were expected to be obedient and chaste. But throughout millennia, some dared defy traditions with their intellect and ambition. In this series, we profile some of the most powerful and enigmatic female figures in Chinese history.
Governance in ancient China was rooted in Confucianism, a rigid social hierarchy that placed men at the centre of power. One woman challenged that foundation, dismantling a centuries-old glass ceiling to become the first and only female sovereign in Chinese history: Wu Zetian.
Although Wu (624-705) only reigned as a legitimate huangdi, or emperor, during the last 15 years of her life in her short-lived Wu Zhou dynasty (690-705), she had long controlled the prosperous Tang dynasty (618-690; 705-907) as a shadow monarch: first as empress consort (660-683), then as empress dowager (684-690).
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Effectively, she was in power for at least 45 years, more than half her life. While historians have villainised her as a scheming, power-hungry, hypersexual tyrant who usurped the throne through violence and manipulation, people have also spoken of her beauty, intellect and discernment.
She had a charisma and an allure sufficient to cause a prince to break the law.
Wu entered the royal palace at age 14 as a concubine of the then 40-year-old Emperor Taizong.
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