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Empress wu zetian
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A person who is ill-mannered is one who always wants to get their way, such as a 5 year old child that wants to play a game, but no one else wants to play so they throw a fit. Empress Wu Zetian, the Empress, who did anything to become Emperor, became Emperor and killed anyone or anything that got in her way. After reading several online sources, it is clear that Empress Wu Zetian was a person that never gave up at becoming Emperor. Wu Zetian had an intelligent and a rich childhood. For example, after Wu Zetian was assigned to work in the imperial study “She was introduced to official documents and quickly became acquainted with affairs of state.” (“Wu Zetian”) Wu Zetian had abundant money and were of noble families. (“Wu Zetian”) As a child …show more content…
Wu was taught to write, read, and play music.(“Wu Zetian”) At the age of 13 Wu was known for her wit and beauty. (“Wu Zetian”) As a result, Wu was taught creative skills that many other children were not. Many people admire Empress Wu Zetian for becoming the first female Emperor.
For example, people respected the fact that “Wu recommended and accepted new ideas regarding agriculture, tax reduction, social reforms, and effective labor saving practices”. (“Wu Zetian”) After giving birth to two sons, Wu began to complete the name Empress Wang. (“Wu Zetian”)Wu Zetian began her political career in earnest for her goal to become the first female Emperor of China. (“Wu Zetian”) As a result Empress Wu Zetian would make sure she got her way to become Emperor of China. Power filled Empress Wu Zetian’s later years. Specifically, Wu had a lot of power” Not only those who opposed Wu were severely dealt with, but but also many other innocent people were cruelly put to death.” (“Wu Zetian”) Empress Wu Zetian even had a campaign to elevate the position of women. (“Empress Wu Zetian”) As Wu grew older she lessened the power of her secret police. “(Empress Wu Zetian”) After Wu gave up the throne, she died at age 82 750 B.C (“Wu Zetian”) Consequently, Wu Zetian was an Empress that became Emperor because she removed anything that got in her way. Wu Zetian was a woman who made sure she got her dream of becoming Emperor. Very few people would be as patient as Wu was to become Emperor. Empress Wu Zetian is a lot like a 5 year old child that if doesn’t get their way will throw a fit, but in Wu’s situation she does get her way by becoming
Emperor.
Lessons for Women was written by Ban Zhao, the leading female Confucian scholar of classical China, in 100 C.E. It was written to apply Confucian principles to the moral instruction of women, and was particularly addressed to Ban Zhao’s own daughters. As her best remembered work, it allows the reader insight into the common role of a woman during this fascinating time-period. The work starts off by Ban Zhao unconvincingly berating herself, and claiming how she once lived with the constant fear of disgracing her family. This argument is rather implausible, for the reader already knows the credibility of Ban Zhao, and how important her role was in ancient China.
Ban Zhao wrote Lessons for a Woman around the end of the first century C.E. as social guide for (her daughters and other) women of Han society (Bulliet 167). Because Zhao aimed to educate women on their responsibilities and required attributes, one is left questioning what the existing attitudes and roles of women were to start with. Surprisingly, their positions were not automatically fixed at the bottom of the social hierarchy. Ban Zhao’s own status as an educated woman of high social rank exemplifies the “reality [that] a woman’s status depended on her “location” within various social institutions’ (167). This meant that women had different privileges and opportunities depending on their economic, social, or political background. Wealthier noble women would likely have access to an education and may have even been able to wield certain political power (167). Nevertheless, women relinquished this power within the family hierarchy to their fathers, husbands, and sons. Despite her own elevated social status, Ban Zhao still considered herself an “unworthy writer”, “unsophisticated”, “unenlightened’, “unintelligent”, and a frequent disgrace to her and her husband’s family (Zhao). Social custom was not, however, the only driving force behind Zhao’s desire to guide women towards proper behavior.
Most outcasts of history had a particular, exclusive life; full of struggles against the society ever since birth and grew up with a heart made out of steel from the harsh criticism they have endured. They differ from the community within their beginning to their end, and many of their stories end up becoming legends and gaps of the past that nobody will be able to reincarnate. China’s first and last female emperor, Wu Zetian, was one of these exclusives. Ever since birth, her history of tactics to the people around her; in order to ascend the throne, juxtaposed towards society’s attitudes of women at the time; through her breakdown of gender stereotypes and quick knowledge, and offered a new perspective to the world of just how cruel and beautiful women can be. She successfully destructed all accumulated views of women in the Tang Dynasty, and created her future in the way she wanted it – on top of every man in her country. She was an outcast – somebody who juxtaposed against the demands of her. She was history.
Since the introduction of Buddhism into China, it was not well received by the population as its foreign beliefs clashed with pre-existent principals of Confucianism and Taoism. On top of that, it was alienated by the Confucianism-based government in the late Han Dynasty. All in all, Buddhism was not a common nor a popular religion throughout China at first. Nevertheless, this all changed after the rise of the Tang Dynasty. There is no doubt that Buddhism and the Tang administration under Wu’s reign formed a critical symbiotic relationship with one another. Buddhism played a pivotal role in justifying Empress Wu’s rule. She enthroned herself as the monarch of China, an extraordinarily difficult achievement for a woman in a male-dominant society, by associating herself with Buddhism: proclaiming herself as the Maitreya and that she will bring an utopian era for the Chinese. (Smarr, 17 Feb. 2012) At the same time, Buddhism benefitted handsomely from government support, as monasteries are exempted from tax and that they are financially supported by the state, as seen in A Pilgrim’s Visit to the Five Terraces Mountains, which ultimately resulted in the substantial growth in attraction of Buddhist converts and Buddhism itself. Wu’s extensive support of the religion with ostentatious gifts and donations contributed to the rapid proliferation of Buddhism. Evidently, the mutually benefitting relationship between Buddhism and the state are crucial to each other’s survival during Wu’s sovereignty, but to what extent did her financial support (donations to monasteries) of Buddhism bettered the government overall?
...he Confucius Way. The secretaries will trust in him again, and thus, good relations amongst the Emperor and the secretaries will be positive again. This unity will allow more focus on other important issues, and therefore better decisions will be made for the people of China. This will lead to happiness among the people and prosperity in our government. Master once said, “If a man sets his heart on benevolence, he will be free from evil.” I have set my heart on benevolence by grounding my viewpoints from the depths of Confucius’s teachings. Confucius’ teachings clearly show that choosing Changlou as an heir and removing Lady Zheng and Kang Hua will clear the dangerous cloud of evil covering our city. If I have insulted you in any way, great Wan Li, I apologize. I only hope to advise you in the best way possible. Emperor, I hope you find benevolence in my memorial.
The Chinese possessed strong beliefs about astrology, so when it was prophesised that a women ruler would soon ascend the throne word quickly spread throughout the common people. It was predicted that within 30 years this woman known as ‘The Prince of Wu’ would rule over China. Whether or not Empress Wu’s rise to power was due to ‘heaven ordained fate’, she fulfilled the prophecy and became China’s first woman ruler in the 7th century. Historians, scholars and common people alike have long debated Wu’s reign. She is commonly referred to as an evil usurper due to the way she took power. However whether she fully deserves this reputation is to be examined. As the only female Chinese ruler, Wu challenged traditional gender roles and legitimized herself as a leader at a time when women were not meant for such positions. Empress Wu came to power through self-determination and a remarkable gift for politics. Once on the throne, she kept her power by all means necessary, often those means being murder and betrayal. Some of her actions were undoubtedly cruel. However once she was established as an empress conducted a mostly peaceful and prosperous reign. Empress Wu was by definition a usurper of the Chinese throne however not necessarily an evil one. She was manipulative and ruthless yet brilliant and exceptionally gifted. Her rise to power through sheer determination is to be commended despite the harsh tactics she used along the way.
Empress Wu is also known as Wu Hou, Wu Chao, Wu Zetian, or Wu Tsê T’ien (“Emulator of Heaven';). She was born in the year of 625 AD. She was born and raised in China during the Tang dynasty. Empress Wu was the daughter of Wu Shih-Huo, a rich and noble merchant at the time. The Tang Dynasty was a time of relative freedom for woman. Since Empress Wu lived during that period of time, she was well educated at home. Like most other rich and noble people of her time, she was taught to play music, write, and read the Chinese classics.
No other woman in the Early Han held the same amount of influence as Empress Lü throughout her various titles as Empress, Empress Dowager, and then Grand Empress Dowager. Stories recounting her manipulative nature paint a picture of a scheming empress using her imperial power to bestow favors and political positions to her own clan. This essay argues that Empress Lü used the lack of precedence for her position as Empress Dowager to manipulate court officials into granting power to her clan, which caused political unrest late in her life and resulted in the destruction of the Lü clan. To support this claim, this essay will discuss the exceptional nature of Empress Lü's power and the extent of her ability to manipulate the court, and then this paper will provide evidence of a Lü clan extermination after the death of the empress that held power for fifteen years after her husband died – in a nation with no precedence for this kind of rule.
Sit, Tony. "The Life of Empress Cixi” (from Issue 10 of the China in Focus Magazine). Society for Anglo-Chinese Understanding (SACU), 2001. .
The Tang dynasty was founded in 618, and lasted until 907. The emperor was supreme and government officials were chosen by examination. A census was taken to simplify tax collection and to draft citizens to perform labor for the empire. This was a period of great land expansion. (Halsall, 1998) The emperor also had a great love of the arts, and the Tang became known as the golden age of literature and art. Block printing was invented and made writing more available. (Unknown, 2003) Shipbuilding and firearms development were also refined during the era. Art was heavily influenced by Buddhism, especially rock sculpture. One major problem that arose was the heavy burden of taxation. Many were unable to meet their heavy tax burden. To escape this, many placed themselves under the protection of great landlords who were exempt from taxes, or became bandits. (Halsall, 1998)
A general in any army should understand the usefulness of taking all of an enemy’s resources in one attack. Attacking and then taking only half of the original amount can lead to a prolonged war or major defeats. This concept represents the ideas of “taking whole.” Moreover, Sun Tzu dealt with the unequivocal objective of “taking whole” in the story, “Sun Tzu and the Emperor’s concubines”. Sun Tzu had to rally together 180 women to prove to the emperor that his methods can be applied to anyone, even concubines. He at first is unsuccessful, but after listening and adapting he soon creates order in the women and has their complete will. Markedly, Sun Tzu is not rash by his means towards gaining the respect of the women. He takes his time talking
recover these lands so they were forced to make peace with the Khitans and the
In the early fifth century due to the weak Sui dynasty (561-617). The Emperor taxed heavy on its citizens and forced them to build large monuments and buildings with little to no pay. Many people as a result of this hard labor died. Fed up with heavy taxation and forced labor, rebellions occurred trough out Sui China and put the emperor to its grave 618. That same year Li Yuan, who was a Sui Governor in a Chinese province, later became emperor Gaozu of Tang declared himself ruler of the new Tang Dynasty. During his eight year reign, he united parts of China, relaxed harsh laws and promoted trade. After his retirement his son Li Shimin became the next Emperor of the Tang. He was also known as Emperor Taizong. During the reign of Emperor Taizong, China flourished economically and militarily. After his death, China enjoyed prosperity and peace brought about the soil faction of imperial protection over the Chinese regions.1 Also for the first time in this time period , China had trade relations with Yamato Japan. China also had strong diplomatic relations with the western world for the first time. In 674 the Sassanid Persian royal house fled the advancing Arab army and arrived in the Tang capital, Chang’an. Which became the most populist city in the world at the time, with two million
The Tang Dynasty’s rise is similar to the rise of the Han Dynasty, which began over 800 years earlier. The first emperor of the tang, Kao-tsu (618-626 C.E.), implemented many of the practices and ideas established during the Sui Dynasty. Emperor Kao-tsu carried on the tradition of local government rule, and also awarded each adult male in China equal amounts of land, in exchange for taxes. Emperor Taizong, who began rule in 626 C.E., was the son of Kao-tsu, also played an important role in the economic expansion of China and ruled during the beginning decades of the Tang. Emperor Taizong’s reign beg...
government, he felt that “Principle was the diffusion of the imperial government.”(www.travelchinaguide.com). So in order to correct the situation of the government, he tried to strengthen rule into absolute rule by emperor. One of the single most important innovations that Hongwu made to the Chinese government was the abolishment of the Chief Minister. By eliminating the Chief Minister, Hongwu essentially took over the administration. In a way he was proclaiming absolute...