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Updated Monday, February 18, 2008 0:00 am TWN, By Joe Hung, The China Post

Empress Wu

The power of the Chinese empire reached another apex during the Tang Dynasty (618-907). In fact, it was able to enforce a Pax Sinica in Asia. Li Yuan (李淵) founded the dynasty. He was of aristocratic lineage, a native of the North, and related to the imperial house of Yang, which ruled the whole of China briefly before, under the name of Sui (隨). He unified China with the help of his second son Li Shimin (李世民), in whose favor he abdicated in 627. The second Tang emperor proved to be magnanimous, frugal in private life, and affectionate to his family. He was an emperor who could attract and hold the loyalty of subordinates. He succeeded in thoroughly unifying the country, in stimulating its culture, increasing its prosperity, and bringing it to a new pinnacle of power.

The Tang imperial family professed descent from Lao Tzu (for the latter’s reputed patronymic was likewise Li) and all the emperors were great supporters of Taoism, some of them fanatic believers. During their reign, all three religions — Taoism, Confucianism and Buddhism — peacefully coexisted, except a sudden ascendancy of Buddhism under the rule of Empress Wu or Wu Hou (武后: 684-705) and a brief persecution of the Buddhists by the Emperor Wu Zong (武宗: 841-847). As a matter of fact, Li Shimin was the first emperor in China who strengthened the Confucian cult by decreeing that in all the colleges of his empire Confucius and Confucius’ favorite disciples should be venerated. He also commanded a temple to be erected to Confucius in each of the provinces and districts and honors to be paid in these not only to Confucius but to 72 Confucian disciples.

Wu Hou had been one of Li Shimin’s concubines. On the emperor’s death, she retired to a Taoist temple. She was recalled to court by the empress of Gao Zong (高宗) who succeeded Li Shimin, known as Dai Zong (太宗). The empress was jealous of a concubine of her husband and called Wu Hou back from her seclusion in the temple to win his affection from that imperial concubine. Wu Hou was a schemer. She not only succeeded in displacing this concubine but also supplanted the empress herself and had her killed. She achieved such an ascendancy over Gao Zhong that during the later years of his life she was virtually the ruler. On his death, she quickly disposed of his successor when the latter showed too great independence, and placed another puppet on the throne. Before long she deposed this next roi faineant and openly assumed control of the government. She officiated at the imperial sacrifices, declared the inauguration of a new dynasty under the name of Zhou (周) and ruthlessly exiled or executed such members of the imperial family and their supporters who dared oppose her. She had a favorite monk and later two handsome brothers, and scandalous stories were whispered about her relations with them. Whatever her private life may have been, she proved a competent and energetic monarch. She partly reestablished the prestige of the empire abroad and at home governed with an iron hand. She showed Buddhism great favor.

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