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Dec 1, 2023 · Mao remains one of history’s most controversial figures, via Infobae Unifying China, driving out imperialism, advancing women’s rights, and almost doubling the Chinese population from 550 million to 900 million during his reign are all unquestionably positive results of his leadership.
- James Keating
Jun 2, 2020 · Qin Shi Huang is a pivotal figure in Chinese history and the most controversial. He was the king of the Qin during the Warring States Period. He defeated the other six states of China in a ruthless war and then became the first emperor of a unified China in 221 BC. After unifying China, he split the country into 36 regions and then passed a ...
An Effective but Controversial Ruler Wu Zhao (624–705), also known as Empress Wu Zetian, was the first and only woman emperor of China. With her exceptional intelligence, extraordinary competence in politics, and inordinate ambition, she ruled as the “Holy and Divine Emperor” of the Second Zhou Dynasty (690–705) for fifteen years. Her remarkable political leadership […]
- Early Life
- Rise to Power
- The Death of Wu's Daughter
- Wu Takes The Throne
- Reign & Reforms of Wu Zetian
- Wu's Decline & Abdication
- Conclusion
Wu Zetian was born in Wenshi County, Shanxi Province, in 624 CE to a wealthy family. She was the daughter of Wu Shihuo, a chancellor of the Tang Dynasty. Unlike most young girls in China at this time, Wu was encouraged by her father to read and write and develop the intellectual skills which were traditionally reserved for males. Wu also learned to...
Wu was given the privileged position of first concubine even though by lawshe should have been left in the temple as a nun. Gaozong's wife, Lady Wang, and his former first concubine, Xiao Shufei, were jealous of each other but even more envious of the attention Gaozong paid to Wu. According to Wu's own account, they conspired against her but, accor...
Lady Wu played the role of the shy, respectable emperor's wife well in public but, behind the scenes, she was the actual power. She carefully eliminated any potential enemies from the court and had Lady Wang and Lady Xiao killed after they had gone into exile. Although Wu's account claims that Lady Wang murdered her daughter, later Chinese historia...
Beginning in 660 CE, Wu was effectively the emperor of China. She did not hold that title but she was the power behind the office and took care of imperial business even when pregnant in 665 CE with her daughter Taiping. One example of her clout was in 666 CE when she led a group of women to Mount Tai (an ancient ceremonial center), where they cond...
The first thing she did was change the name of the state from Tang to Zhou (actually Tianzhou or Tiansou). It was customary, when a dynasty changed, to re-set history. Each dynasty was considered a new beginning and when Wu changed the name from Tang to Zhou she was following this tradition but went further to make it clear that she was the beginni...
In 697 CE, Wu's hold on power began to slip when she became more paranoid and began spending more time with her young lovers than on ruling China. Two brothers, known as the Zhang Brothers, were her favorites and she spent most of her time in closed quarters with them. This was considered scandalous because of her advanced age and how young the Zha...
After Wu's death, Zhongzong reigned but only in name; real power was held by Lady Wei who used Wu Zetian as a role model to manipulate her husband and the court. At the same time, another political faction formed around Wu's other son, Ruizong, who was supported by Wu's daughter, Taiping. In 710 CE Zhongzong died after being poisoned by Wei who hid...
- Emily Mark
Wu Zetian [note 8] (17 February 624 [note 9] [note 10] – 16 December 705), [3] [4] personal name Wu Zhao, was Empress of China from 660 to 705, ruling first through others and then (from 690) in her own right. She ruled first as empress consort, through her husband Emperor Gaozong and then as an empress dowager, through her sons Emperors ...
Wu Zetian, the only female emperor in Chinese history, has been a figure of fascination and controversy for over a millennium. Born in the Tang Dynasty in 624 CE, Wu rose from humble beginnings to become a concubine of Emperor Taizong, eventually seizing power herself as Empress Dowager and later proclaiming herself Emperor of China. Her reign was marked by both impressive achievements and ...
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Mar 6, 2024 · The Qing dynasty was China’s last dynasty and is a controversial and paradoxical one. It is seen by many as being partially responsible for the so-called ‘Century of Humiliation’ between 1839 and 1945. On the one hand, as a dynasty, it ruled more territory than every other dynasty before it, with lands encompassing Tibet, Taiwan, and ...
