Biography: 武则天 – Wu Zetian: China’s Only Female Emperor

Wu Zetian: China’s Only Female Emperor

Wu Zetian was the only female emperor in Chinese history. She was born in China in 624 AD, and her father was an official in the Tang Dynasty. Her family valued education highly, so Wu Zetian learned to read and write from a young age. She was very intelligent and loved reading books, as well as studying history and politics.

When Wu Zetian was fourteen years old, she entered the palace of Emperor Taizong of Tang. She worked in the palace, helping the emperor handle affairs. After Emperor Taizong passed away, the new emperor, Emperor Gaozong of Tang, liked her very much and made her empress. After Wu Zetian became empress, she began helping Emperor Gaozong manage the country. Because Emperor Gaozong was in poor health, many important decisions were made by Wu Zetian.

After Emperor Gaozong passed away, Wu Zetian became even more powerful. She helped her two sons become emperor one after another, but the person truly managing the country was herself. In 690 AD, Wu Zetian made a very big decision – she declared herself emperor and established a new dynasty called “Zhou.” She became the only female emperor in Chinese history.

When Wu Zetian was emperor, she did many good things. She valued agriculture and made the common people’s lives better. She also changed the method of selecting officials, allowing more talented people to work for the country, not just those who were wealthy and had high status. During her rule, the Tang Dynasty became even stronger.

Wu Zetian passed away in 705 AD, when she was eighty-two years old. After her death, the Tang Dynasty emperors continued to rule China. Many people think Wu Zetian was a very capable leader. Although she was a woman, she did better than many male emperors. Today, Chinese people still greatly respect her and consider her one of the most important figures in Chinese history.