By: Helen Qing, VI Form

Politics, Religion, and Gender Views during the Regime of Emperor Wu: Analysis of the interrelationships between Mahayana Buddhism, Emperor Wu, and Female Representations through the lens of art and literature

Editor’s Note: This paper was completed as a part of the History Research Fellowship, a one-semester course available to sixth form students.

Student-Submitted Note: This research paper explores and analyzes the mutually beneficial relationship between the regime of Emperor Wu, the first and only female emperor of ancient Chinese history, and Mahayana Buddhism. The paper then explores the change in the representation of both secular and religious female figures in Buddhist arts and texts. The paper navigates through ancient Buddhist sutras, murals, sculptures, arts, and historic documents.

During the Tang Dynasty(618 AD ~ 907 AD), there was a woman named WuZhao (See Figures 1 and 2) who married her deceased husband’s son and became the one and only female sovereign in the long river of ancient Chinese history. In 637 AD, at the age of 14, because of her beauty and family background, Wu Zhao became a concubine of Emperor Taizong. In 649 AD, Taizong died, and along with other childless concubines, Wu Zhao shaved her hair and became a Buddhist nun in the GanYe Temple with other concubines. However, unlike most former concubines, her life had just begun.

One year after TaiZong’s death, his son, “Emperor Gao Zong, went to the temple to offer
incense and met Wu, and they wept together for Taizong. Gaozong was astonished by her beauty when they had first met in the Imperial court and since his father’s death paid regular visits to the temple in hopes of encountering the widow,” WuZhao. Gaozong had recently lost interest in Empress Wang, the queen, as she bore no children and turned attention to concubine Xiao who bore him three children. To distract the Emperor’s attention from concubine Xiao, Empress Wang encouraged Wu to cease shaving her hair and start to dress up every day. With the interest of the Emperor and support from Empress Wang, Wu Zhao was soon invited by the emperor to return to the palace after their encounter in the temple. Wu Zhao was given the title Zhaoyi, the highest- ranked concubine than the empress.