Empress Wu's Dynasties In Ancient China

During the Tang dynasty in ancient China Empress Wu was a very controversial leader. There were many things that Wu did well to stabilize China when it was struggling. But, others thought that she was a terrible ruler for reasons such as her history as a concubine. Although many think that she was a terrible leader, the fact that she listened to others and governed with great efficiency outweigh them. Empress Wu was a successful leader because she stabilized the Tang dynasty when it was struggling. Before Empress Wu came to the throne in the Tang dynasty, China was not stabilized at all. Leading up to the Tang dynasty there were the six dynasties and the Sui dynasty. All of these dynasties were short lived because of China not being

(Fitzgerald) The Wu family also was not of royalty but still made money selling bean curds as they were made of good quality, so they did have some money. Her father, Mr. Wu rose from a merchant to a nobleman, he was a low ranking officer in the army. Then, Mr. Wu became a governor, and was praised by the emperor at the time Taizong. Mr. Wu was a crucial part to promoting Empress Wu and her family to the throne. (Woo, pg 5-10) Before Wu was the Empress of the Tang dynasty she was a concubine of Taizong and Gaozong. Also, she entered the palace as a junior concubine of the Emperor Taizong at the young age of 14. Her history as a concubine is one of the reasons why Wu faces so much criticism as an empress. A concubine is a mistress, and most people did not want a leader who portrayed a prostitute which Wu was. (Fitzgerald) Also, Wu was known to “gratify certain unusual sexual appetites of the emperor.”

The “Face Reading” legend shows how Wu predicted that she would have sovereign control over the country. The “Flowers Blooming in Water” story shows how the flowers came out to greet Wu when she walked through the garden, after she wished they would before. Finally, the “Black Dragon Pond” legend talks about how Wu was born from a dragon and that only a female sovereign can be born from such thing. With legends like these it shows more about how Wu was viewed, through metaphors. (Woo, pg.173-175) Empress Wu was a successful leader because she stabilized the Tang dynasty when it was struggling. Wu may have faced many criticisms for what she did before she was an empress. But she overcame this by bringing China back together under a single ruler, unlike the six and Sui dynasties. Wu’s success was primarily because she listened to others, and eliminated anyone who opposed her. Wu was well liked by most of people and you can see that through her acceptance of Buddhism and in legends written about