Wu Zetian: China's First & Only Female Emperor | Empress Who Ruled The World | Timeline
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 มี.ค. 2019
- She’s probably the most controversial woman in Chinese history - Wu Zetian, who rose from lowly concubine to become the only woman in all Chinese history to dare to take the title “Emperor”
Since her death 1,300 years ago, Wu Zetian has been remembered as a callous tyrant, who brought calamity to China. But now, extraordinary new discoveries are revealing a very different picture of her reign.
As archaeologists investigate hidden tombs, spectacular pagodas, gigantic palaces and priceless treasures from her time, they are uncovering a very different story of China’s female Emperor, her skills and her empire. Wu Zetian’s China was a military, economic and cultural superpower, whose influence stretched from the edge of the Mediterranean to Japan and India. Recent discoveries reveal the wealth and stability of her reign, and point to her skills as a politician and a leader. But they also provide tantalising new evidence of the cruelty and violence at the heart of her regime.
With hands-on investigations and access to the treasures of Wu Zetian’s time, this film tries to give a definitive answer to the question: was Emperor Wu an evil tyrant or one of the most successful rulers in all Chinese history?
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Okay
And she also became a concubine to the son! Would you (knowingly) put your junk where your dad had put?
At 31:40, the narrator and subtitles incorrect call it rice storage facilities. The archeologists in the video however, only calls it "grain storage" facilities. During this time period, these granaries were probably not used to store rice because rice was not the most popularly grown grain. During the Tang Dynasty, millet and wheat were the most popular and most commonly grown grains. Rice wouldn't be the most popular until centuries later during the Song Dynasty era.
@@avonord and okay other ooo
@@3v4_sped_up_audios ii
"Killed her own son for power! Ruthless!"
Every sultan ever: kills 12 brothers
I think this point really strike true to the heart of the issue, if she were a man, being cunning and calculating would have been praised, but if a woman does it than she's a tyrant
Sultan Also kills their own sons 😂
Bitter truth
Even Sultana's kill their own children for power. Not only Sultans. Lmao
so, if sultans killed 12 of his brothers, it means she killing her own offspring is not evil and ruthless? u cannot compare an evil to a greater evil and deem one evil to be righteous, both are equally evil and bad.
Actually modern China considers her as a successful and outstanding leader. Students are taught in history classes that she had made lots of contributions to this country, and all the old and young watch TV shows and movies about her legend. I agree that as a woman, she was underestimated in ancient times, or even now, but we Chinese people never consider her rule as "disaster".😂
They did in ancient times.
@@AmandaMenghe I'm an overseas chinese. When i was a kid, we learnt in school that she was a horrible, evil wicked woman. But it's really in recent years that her reputation was revamped.
Very true! this comment is underrated. only the westerners consider her as a "disaster"
@@wangxian5767 there's many Chinese documents and movie adaptions about how gold she was
@@Jenny-qd1yt Westerners did not write Chinese historical records lol. Why did you get that idea ?
*An intelligent woman rises to power*
Male Politicians: SHE'S A MONSTER!
EXACTLY!
Classics never go out of style...
😂😂😂😂😂
This happens a lot in history
Tale as old as time.
Yeah the fact that she entered court at 13 and began all of her intrigues at such a young age is pretty icky but you have to admit it's also incredibly impressive. She was still a child and was able to hold powerful men under her thumb.
Reminds me a little of Margaret Beaufort who had her first and only child at the age of 13. That child would go on to be Henry VII of England and was the first king of the Tudor Dynasty. She may not have been a queen or empress but what she did to survive and to keep her son alive, and eventually getting him on the throne is amazing! Some people are just born with greatness inside them.
it was normal at that time for girls to enter at that age. We can't judge them based on our values today.
What was the average lifespan back then?
@@catherineconner7211 I'm pretty sure like 4 minutes in they thoroughly described how horrible it was to be one of her offspring 😆
@@ashleelarsen5002 That's a really good question! I'm not sure, I'll have to look it up. I think east Asians had a longer lifespan than Europeans of the same era, but I'm sure it was a lot younger than the average lifespan of today. So you're definitely right. At the time 13 could have been the equivalent of late teens or early 20's. Children did grow up a lot faster back then.
Hatshepsut, Cleopatra, Empress Wu, men will always be talking down on women who beat them at their own game and did it better.
@@GoatedGhool well that's what I believe too. But under her rule the people of Egypt especially farmers were very happy. However , when she decided to help Anthony instead of her people that resulted in the downfall.
Mary, Queen of Scots too!
What did cleopatra do but have a baby by ceasar
add hurrem sultana too
True 🙏
She did what she had to do to survive. I'm not saying that she's a saint, but historians paint her out to be worse than she actually is.
Did you came back to her time to see how she was?! Cool!
exactly
men did the same thing to get to power and thye paint her as more evil than them
One of the examples how ruthless people could be back then lol.
I mean if you or I were in her position, likely you would've done the same thing.
Cookie Monster. NO. She was just the same as all the male tyrants you could mention. The worry is that she appears to be being whitewashed because she is a woman.
Wu ZeTian actually created a new Chinese character 曌for herself. and use it inHer second name WuZhao,which the meaning of 曌 is “like the sun and the moon illuminating the world “. Legendary
Wow!
The word 曌 consists of three parts: 日(the sun)，月(the moon)，and 空(the sky). 日and月together means brightness(明)。 The sun and the moon illuminating the sky.
Moon and sun means time.
Sky means space.
I guess :
In Chinese words, it means universe.
并不是她的意思是日月凌空，是男女共管天下，是女子管天下的意思
Most kings and queens did that, it’s obvious, forces of nature were considered divine.
That woman is what we call a leader, a ruler, a queen, an empress. She did what she had to do. And she did the best she could do within her ability.
Nope. She did what she didn't have to do. To go that length to maintain power is nothing to be impressed about. Of course the likes of you would look at her as a hero simply because of her gender but to the rest of us with a decent morality and common sense, she was nothing more than a ruthless evil tyrant.
@@ashashraa6579 You even cannot manage a small company and look down her achievement 🤣🤣🤣 Very funny from stupid person.
@@ashashraa6579 cry about it.
@@ashashraa6579 Wu Zetian is Gaslight Gatekeep Girlboss. You are talking about morality and condemn Wu then overlook Emperor Tai Zong who literally killed his brothers. Chinese History is not for you. Read the bible
Minor correction: it’s Emperor, not Empress. The word Emperor (at least in Chinese) in gender neutral, whereas Empress specifically refers to the female consort of a male emperor.
But the video is in English and in English you'd refer to a female imperial monarch as Empress.
It doesn't matter wether she is the wife of an imperial monarch or rules alone.
@@crusaderofthelowlands3750 she declared herself Emperor. Female emperor bcoz she titled herself ( huangdi ) means Emperor not ( huanghou ) means Empress. During that time Empress regnant is impossible so she came up using male title.
@@marquelquilly2758 Yeah, I misunderstood at first. Thanks for correcting me.
Wu Zetian official title wasn't emperor or empress, but "huangdi (皇帝)" and this title was genderless. A difficulty in English translations from Chinese is that English translations tend to specify gender (as in the case of "emperor" versus "empress" or "prince" versus "princess"). Empress itself was divided into some categories: empress regnant (female monarch who reigns in her own right) and empress consort (wife of reigning emperor).
- Huanghou (皇后): translated as empress consort. Wu became empress consort from 655 until 683.
- Huangdi (皇帝): translated as Emperor (male) or empress regnant (female). Wu Zetian became empress regnant from 16 October 690 until 22 February 705.
It's irrelevant that the original is gender neutral; good translators use the form that sounds natural and correct in the language being translated into.
You must always remember who is telling the story, an enemy or friend.
True. So true.
Keep your enemies close!!
Yes. is there an agenda or not.
Exactly 👏
@James Wang we know that?
One thing must be clear. Wu being "badly" painted is due to TWO reasons. One is that she was a woman, the other is that she is family Wu, not family Li. The second is probably the most important reason of her "bad" image. She would have a much brighter image if she took the throne from her father. In China's political theory, changing the bloodline of the imperial house is equivalent to a revolution, dead of a dynasty. Anyone doing so is painted as a traitor, a rebel regardless if he or she is related to the imperial house. For example, Cao cao (155-220AD) (BTW a man) was the prince of Han dynasty (family name Liu) when he forced the emperor to abdicate and became the first emperor of Wei (dynasty). This is the exact same that Wu Zetian did, force the legitimate heir to give way and make herself the emperor of a new dynasty, changing the imperial house. The only difference is that she was a woman. Was the later historians more lenient to Cao the man than Wu the woman? Absolutely not, in fact, Cao remained to be the worst painted politician in Chinese history book, even though everybody acknowledges that he was a very capable ruler and a better choice than the puppet emperor he replaced. Another example is in the 1600s Qing dynasty, Hong Chenchou (a former Ming minister) was instrumental in building Qing dynasty after he switched side. When Qing dynasty was compiling Ming history book, Hong was still alive, he was put into the category of traitors. The Qing emperor at the time said, Hong contribute greatly to Qing, for that he got the reward as aristocrat, but that does not change the fact that he betrayed his emperor (Ming), for that he has to remembered as such, it is to teach a lesson to people in the future. The bottom line is (ancient) principle is principle, it is not and should not be twisted to fit some modern concept, to fit the taste of modern people. People change, we change, but we has no right to judge the past by today's standard.
And maybe Wu Zetian more "fortunate". Although Tang reestablished after her deposition, all Tang emperors after her were her descendant, so they're still honoured her, even as empress consort, not as empress regnant. I believe she's potrayed as bad figure after Tang collaps and Neo-Confucianism (which more strict toward women) spread.
But as a woman I feel it's unfair that she was treated as a traitor of the country and got badly painted like that. She married the Li family her whole life, she should be considered a member of the Li family. She did took power from her son, that's bad, but she never killed her son or daughter, and she never passed the throne to a Wu clan member. She should be treated as an emperor of Tang.
@@alfredalbertalexandrafrederickNot how it works. Even today, women don’t change their last names to their husbands family’s last name.
Don't you just love how everyone started acting as if past emperors didn't do exactly the same and potentially worse lmao
PFfft noooo. Clearly Wu Zetian was the biggest tyrant
I agree with u hyunsoo
She was treated differently simply because she was a woman.
Two wrongs don't make a right and enough with whataboutism to justify evil.
@@apll9146 Cannot compare to the first Chinese emperor who the first emperor who united China and built great wall. Clearly Wu Zetian much better than you, who just an ordinary, random, and stupid people on internet 🤣
Everyone in China knows her from history textbooks and TV shows. She is definitely considered one of the great emperors in Chinese history
Heidi W She was not remembered in such a way until the modern time.
@@zliu4208 well of course I mean the modern Chinese. Ancient Chinese don't watch TV shows...
@moyu man yes everyone know. many dramas about her too.
the only problem is that she is too mysterious. people don't have a very clear image about her except that she is the only women who have ruled china.
Esp the one with fan bing bing 😍
I first heard of her from the Korean historical drama
Dae Jo Young
When you have been sitting in her position,, you probably have no choice but be cruel to anyone that threat the empire..
Raj Kumar agree to maintain that position they have to be cruel to some extent
True true
And her son? One can’t do anything but feel some sort of disdain towards her when she murdered her own son.
Rania Ali i think probably he somehow became a traitor so she killed him or maybe her son was framed and became a scapegoat in the hands of dirty politics in the court .
@@Rania-vh7wg maybe there was some underlying reason and sometimes you have to be cruel to remain in a place
Whether she was a good ruler or not the fact that her reign lasted that long especially in a society where females were at a huge disadvantage shows just how much of clever and capable person she was. To be remembered after all this time whether through benevolence or infamy is also a testament to how much of impact and impression she had left to the world which very few are capable of making. There is little to no doubt that Wu Zetian was not an ordinary person.
Wu Zetian never claimed the title, "Emperor." She owned the title, "Emperor." And, she was the one and only ultimate embodiment of the title, "Emperor." There was never an entity like her. And, there will never be an entity like her.
Wu Zetian official title wasn't emperor or empress, but "huangdi (皇帝)" and this title was genderless. A difficulty in English translations from Chinese is that English translations tend to specify gender (as in the case of "emperor" versus "empress" or "prince" versus "princess"). Empress itself was divided into some categories: empress regnant (female monarch who reigns in her own right) and empress consort (wife of reigning emperor).
- Huanghou (皇后): translated as empress consort. Wu became empress consort from 655 until 683.
- Huangdi (皇帝): translated as Emperor (male) or empress regnant (female). Wu Zetian became empress regnant from 16 October 690 until 22 February 705.
Conclusion, proper English term for Wu Zetian was empress, even when she was huangdi. I know in English, empress sound weaker than emperor, but that's how English work.
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@@keizelharf5393 But it's still Emperor not Empress because the word Emperor in Chinese is gender neutral, whereas Empress specifically refers to the female consort of a male Emperor
Making her Emperor because she had no husband and was given full power by the people themselves if you look deep into the story
One of the most important piece of world history. She had to be a very intelligent, tough and beautiful woman. Unfortunately, it's either kill or be killed in those days, if you want to be the ruler.
Ah, how true. Ancient China was full of betrayal, revenge, murder and a lot of other drama.
Game of thrones
Only rely on being beautiful she wouldn't live long not to mention grab the highest power in a man ruled world.
even the much beloved Virgin Queen, Queen Elizabeth, had most of her rivals, political threats killed by her trusted adviser. The political life of kings, queens, emperors, empresses and various rulers are frought with danger. Always. Even in this time and age. There is always a trade off. You want power, you must be willing to do what it takes to get it, keep it and maintain it. There is a certain ruthlessness that is essential in being a ruler. Threat to the throne is constant.
The southern regime in China later in history has largely blackening her in the documents due to the extreme misogyny of local culture. Shanxi was the province with women having the highest position in China, which is where she was born.
She was ruthless to her enemies, strict with her officials, and did good things for the people, especially women. If she had been the opposite, she would have been a fatuous ruler, if she had been strict with both the people and her officials, then she would have been a tyrant.
But it's the case that she was in most parts, a wise and strong ruler under whom, the empire thrived. And the empire was put through many downturns and oppression after her abdication and subsequent death, because the new administration wanted to reverse the policies that she had implemented. It's obvious that the subsequent male rulers would not look kindly on her, and also proven that the economy of empire was never as good as it was under her reign.
Emperors were usually either hated or feared by the citizens, and we didn't live in those days, so we wouldn't know how it felt like, we could only judge with the hindsight of historical evidence on our side- A good emperor is one whose contributions outweighed his misdeeds, and this is true of her.
Hey, just want to say: I like your comment, especially your last sentence. “A good emperor is one whose contributions outweighed his misdeeds.” This line really blew my mind away. Thank you.
A good analysis...👍
The southern regime in China later in history has largely blackening her in the documents due to the extreme misogyny of local culture. Shanxi was the province with women having the highest position in China, which is where she was born.
yep.
No sole emperor would've ever done so much good without advisors. There must be trust and unity within the administration. Not fear and confusion
It's apparent those of the documentary have a popular agenda.
Yes she was one of the greatest Empress of China at that time, she made China rich and the superpower - Wu Zetian was great leader.
you mean Emperor.
If she was a man, people's views on her leadership wouldn't be nearly as judgmental- these kinds of behavior for ancient china rulers were typical for rulers then.
In the South shes actually not that controversial. We see her as by in large an effective ruler that cared about her citizens.
I believe most people see her as a successful ruler, despite the images of her personally good or bad.
That's what happens when the Caucasians tell the stories of societies they don't even belong to.
@Lucy teesdale my point proven.
@@cookie22100 are you saying that the Tang dynasty historians were Caucasian? Or maybe the historians of the later dynasties?
@lcy tsdl He's saying that white ppl don't understand mainland government and the country's shifts in political systems, so they naively took the government's account, like you said, without considering the government's ulterior motives because them white folks are too removed from Chinese history to discern biases. A Chinese person would've known better.
Those hating on her were men who wanted their women submissive and powerless and Empress Wu was giving them power and voice. Lucky we know better
😊
@@mrxx7471 How's the weather in 1836?
Male Emperor: Debauched, cruel, cunning, sexist, murders at will - Strong ruler.
Female Emperor: Does the same if not less, without the debauchery and sexism - Ruthless monster!!
thats because she changed the dynasty bloodline from Li to wu which was consider high treason, and she also changed the dynasty from Tang to zhou
Exactly 💯
for her rule to last that long, all i can say is she's very clever. we'll never know what really happened during their time and we never can compare because their way of life is different back then.
Wu Zetian ranks very high with other great female rulers from Cleopatra VII to Catherine the Great. This documentary truly reveals her as a strong, intelligent, charismatic and visionary leader who never lost sight on what she owed her country. To me, her achievements overshadow myths and the brutal deeds she had to do to maintain order. Wu was a great empress for China plus role model for those in government today, minus conspiracies and cruelty.
Wes 76
You mean a state socialist, social nationalist, Marxist-Leninist, possibly a communist, or else.
Same could be said for a fascist, national conservatist, capitalist, monarchist, totalitarianist, and so on and so forth.
Wes 76 It isnt enough to be ruthless or cruel. If you're a woman, you have to be really wise and intelligent to achieve something like that.
@@kimberlyannmendoza5324 I agree 100% with you.
@Wes 76 She was a woman without backing in a man's world. She had to make her way up the ranks on her own merits and capabilities. The government and court is a vicious world of life and death. A wrong move means death. Everybody in government have to play the power game and surely you do not think all officials in the government (all males) are gentle saints do you? Not only did she beat other males at their game, she excelled in politics, administration, talent spotting & making use of people in the right positions. Her name today in Asia still summons immediate respect and admiration.
Cleopatra was not so great. She lost, and murdered her siblings.
As we know, back in the past, being a women meant that it was a person of "weakness", and "no power", women were looked down upon. Therefore I don't think we should blame her, she only did such things to survive. She showed everyone that she was powerful, and held China beneath her, I bet the negative things that had said about her was just lies, made by vicious men, that were jealous of her.
Exactly my thoughts. And a lot of the comments I've read so far focuses so much on the fact that she might have killed her son and family members down the line. To be in her situation in that current era/time......I can see why she did it.
@@sheFEISTY.43110 not to mention that SO many male leaders and emperors had their kids killed in order to stay in power but because she a women suddenly it’s not okay. Obviously killing your child is in no way okay but I’m trying to point out the double standard
I don't think they were lies, all the things she did weren't that horrible compared to other rulers, the emperor that she first served for instance did many horrific acts, murdered some close relatives to gain power and all that jazz, still he is considered one of the greatest emperors of all time.
Ancient historians bashed her because they felt threatened by women after her rule, the tang dynasty was quite progressive already compared to other eras in China, and Wu zetian liberated woman even more, getting them involved in court.
the result of this was that after she died and men were in power again they pushed back this progress to ensure their own power.
they didn't need to lie about her actions because no matter what she did, it would be wrong, simply because she's a woman in power.
You're right
@@lilypond5158 There are many women in power in China, and some are in power behind the scenes.
However, it seems that some women in power have brought great disasters to the country, leading to widespread distrust of women’s performance in national affairs.
I seriously recommend the book Empress, I read it in seventh grade and fell in love with this complicated and intense woman.
Ancient Chinese history is so interesting; I wished we learned more about it in school.
As a young woman 40 years ago I found a history novel about this empress in my grandma's bookcase and I loved her story.
Die Pippa vom BR can you please tell me the title of the book, i want to read it . Please
What’s the book??? I want to read it!
Yes the name of the book!!
Here for everyone who likes to know the name of the book.
Lady Wu a true story from Lin Yutang.
It was published in England in 1957 and in Germany in 1959
@@kaceycat3661 u can watch the drama series called empress of china
She sounds like an incredible ruler. Wonder what China would look like today if more people like her had continued her legacy directly the way she wanted it to.
To be honest, I'm her descendant.
lds lee how did you know that lmfao
Yixin Chen damn, that’s cool. my book is just generations of poor rebels in the south
she doesn't have any descendants. after her, the tang dynasty was threatened and dissolved
if you talk about their reign and era which is The Tang dynasty. china would looked more like japan.
because japan preserve the Tang dynasty culture and architecture, music, etc. the architecture is the red,green,white color
She is not an empress, she's a female emperor. There's a massive difference between them two in Chinese royal system. Emperor has the absolute power and legitimacy to rule the country where as empress is the title given to the wife of an emperor. Wu zetian declared herself as an emperor and established her own Zhou Dynasty.
She was defeated in the dragon coup and lived in a separate palace until her death.
Thousands of years after her death, writers continued to write poems praising her achievements. To this day, we think of her as a legendary emperor.
She is really cruel, perhaps because of her insecurity. Historical records on this aspect of the tang dynasty are very detailed. But on the whole, the evaluation of historians to her is still a wise monarch, who inherited the governance of zhenguan and led the kaiyuan flourishing age.
To those who want to know more about her, there is a tv series called “The Empress of China”, that depicts her rise to the throne. It’s really well done and you see how bad the “kill or be killed” was.
That drama is mad inaccurate, but it's still funny to watch 🤣
Empress of the Palace, no?
@@slimfast67 empress of the palace is set in the qing dynasty, 1000 years after wu zetian's reign. the empress of china is super inaccurate but it depicts the fanfic story of wu zetian
"The Empress of the Dynasty" (1985) is the best in my humble opinion.
A little ashamed to show my ignorance but this is the first time I hear about Wu Zetian. What a phenomenal and progressive woman! I can't imagine how strong minded she must have been to lead China into prosperity and power!
Don't be shameless or something, there'er too many things happened in Chinese history (and other histories), even for me to be a Chinese, I'm still bad in history (modern history)🥲.
I really admire this emperor. She prepared rice graneries for over 10 years
Ironically, the only emperor without balls literally had done far better than most ones with a pair of useless ones!!!
thats true after Taizong the other male emperors were pretty underwhelming
actually Zetian was not her real name, but the honorable title her son gave to her, after he was forced to usurp by a group of ministers when Wu was already very old and sick. he refused to betray his mother so strongly that the ministers had to 'kidnapped' him to Wu's palace. Seeing them come in Wu asked these minister why they did so to her, as they were all lifted by herself from low level officials to the high and honorable positions. they were too ashamed to answer. after her son became the emperor, she was entitled Zetian Dasheng Emperor. Zetian means 'to rule the heaven'. Dasheng means 'the great saint'. before her death, she herself required to change the title to Zetian Dasheng Empress, so that she could bury herself with her husband as his wife.
I love this woman
@@AmyandRouge actually zetian is translated in english as " ruler of heaven" or "to rule the heaven" , it is just roughly translated as "the celestial".
Chinese characters has many meanings and when translated to other languages the meanings seem to change like the word 亲爱 qing ai , it could translate to dear but it could also be translate to beloved or love.
He doesn't want to be apart from her hubby,,,, sad and romantic at once:')
@@AmyandRouge Really????? Is your response based on just the video? The person you are talking to appears to be Chinese and may have much more information than you. I believe YOU are being ignorant here. 🤨
Thank you for enlightening me about this amazing woman. I didn't know she existed! Blown away by the scope of her influence.
Same here, it was really brilliant to learn it all.
As a woman I can’t understand how women can kill her own kids and grandchildren. There are numerous women in power throughout Chinese history and they often did it in the interest of their son. She might be an excellent ruler, but also a selfish and callous mom that were ever recorded in the history.
To gain power and hold onto it for 50 years, you must sacrifice your own conscience.
@@45876 There's no evidence, just rumors
@@45876 they tampered her story 400 years later. This documentary seems to not know about that
Wu Zetian was a great empress! I'm ashamed that I didn't know her sooner. Sadly, she was another great woman of history washed away by misogyny and male prejudice.
While I certainly disagree with her violent tactics, I also understand that Wu did what she had to do in order to survive and stay in power. Wu Zetian's life is extraordinary! Wu Zetian is just another example why we must always remember the ladies and why we can achieve greatness! 😍😄😄😍
Yes as a woman myself I agree her violent tactics were quite evil (yes I know previous emperors may have done worse), she did do what she had to do. Its either kill or be killed.
“In the men’s world, you don’t need a man to lead it..”
I don't care what anyone says Wu Zetian was one of the best leaders to ever grace this planet.
The video thumbnail portrait of the empress is so ugly and silly looking compared the portraits they use for other historical figures in other videos ... someone is racist against chinese people I guess ..
ZenXtraordinary the pocket,
Based on what? The fact that she had a vagina?
STAY
88feji she looks fine tho
This Lady didn't come to play.
They said that she had a really good eye for talented officials, benefitting her empire
One of the most powerful and phenomenal woman in the world. Amazing!
Seems to me from this vid that Empreror Wu was one of The Most Influencial People in History. She began the Silk Road? Created an Age of Buddhism? Built complex architecture and temples? Developed 10 year rice storage facilities? Brought peace and prosperity and art to the region? wow
Unfortunately, the documentary had sort of exaggerated the extent of her involvement with the achievements you mentioned. While it's true that she expanded and built upon those projects, she didn't, for example, "began" the silk road. The silk road was already well established by the time the Tang Dynasty was founded (almost a century before her time as Emperor). What I will agree is that she was an extremely capable ruler who further consolidated and entrenched the economic strength and political might of Imperial China which began with the first two Emperors of a unified Tang empire (i.e., her first and second husbands). Subsequent to her death, the empire eventually came under the rule of Emperor Xuanzhong (her grandson via her second husband) who brought it to its pinnacle (thanks to the foundations laid by his great-grandfather, grandfather and, of course, Wu Zetian). The years 626 to 740 AD are still, to this day, regarded as a high point in Chinese history comparable to the USA as a superpower after WWII.
I think no Emperor lived at that time can rule a massive country with too much mercy.
But this woman was extremely capable/brave to be in that position, that's for sure.
Also she was the first ruler to have the first female minister and around that time women didn't allow to get education but she made all equal when she got the power. I respect her so much.
I love how she empowered the common people and women of her society during that time. You slay Empress! Feminism.
A competent female sovereign who was painted by historians as evil? Nah, that's too unbelievable. 😏
Kate D She was evil coz she coz did many ruthless things to rise into power, and to keep that power. She even murdered her own children to stay in power.
@Hulagu Mongke Yes. And they were painted as "evil". But this lady here suggests she isnt evil simply because shes a "competent female".
What a woke comment. Gongrats
Kate D So, because she’s a woman, she can’t be painted as evil? Despite the fact that she killed many people (including her child) and is a tyrant? You know that tyrants in general are evil right? Try looking for a better example of a female sovereign (yeah, there are plenty more. But the one in this video is not a good example)
First, there's no concrete proof she actually killed her children, it's actually all speculation and rumours, second, there are plenty of men who executed their sons, siblings, fathers and other family to keep power and they're not nearly as vilified as she is, and weren't nearly as good of emperors as she was.
This woman was phenomenal. I honestly think all the evil things they say she did didn’t happen. She was smart and very tactful and successful and they couldn’t handle that a woman was successful in ruling. I really admire this woman.
Edit: To whom it may concern:
If you don’t like my OPINION please do yourself a favor and just educate me if there something you feel I should know. I am basing my opinion on this documentary and don’t claim to know a woman that died centuries ago. We all here to learn anyway. Don’t come with childish insults and stupidity. I don’t understand why some people just can’t state their opinion without being nasty.
While it is likely that most of her evil deeds are all rumors, it is important to keep in mind that it is practically impossible to rise to that level of power and keep it without tainting your soul.
I agree with you, you are absolutely right.
Dark of the knight thanks for the education nice to know.
JL January very true every ruler had their hand drenched in blood one way or another. Sadly it was a way of life back then.
@Dark of the knight and no, it wasn't hokkien, kunyomi isn't sounds like hokkien or the middle chinese. many sounds in chinese doesn't existed in japanese at all.
This is my first time watching a documentary of Chinese histroy. I must say She was an amazing ruler, maybe one of the best in the world history ever, fascinating woman!
I swear, china is so rich in history, I can waste away my days learning about remarkable places, people, and culture from china.
I am overwhelmed by this revolutionary empress who did dominate the system that enslaved her, but couldn't subjugate her. Very impressive life story, she left behind,like Hapshutsep of Egypt or Rani of Jhansi of India. A true immortal.
Hatshepsut u mean
What a woman!! She was extraordinary. She was everything a great leader should be. She was shrewd, clever; believed in diplomacy and she realized what few rulers\leaders past or present understand: the general public's favor is what ultimately keeps a leader in power. If the people are happy, they'll want that ruler or government to stay in power, but if the people become unhappy, power becomes unstable; and can be easily lost. As for her cruelty, I don't doubt for one second that she was very cruel and unforgiving, but she had to be. If she would've shown any weakness the men at court (who couldn't stand to see a woman in power because it hurt their egos) would've ate her up and spat her out without batting an eye. And her family would've done the same if given the chance because they wanted to see themselves or their children in power. And I have no doubt that they would've exiled or killed her if she hadn't killed them first. It was a dog eat dog world for a woman at that time and she did what she had to do to survive. Hats off to the empress for trying to improve the status of women, give them rights and economic autonomy.
The history of China has always impressed me for its magnificent culture and awesome pagodas !!! Incredible story !!! Loved it !!
I truly think that Emperor Wu did what she had to do to stay in power. Remember she was not only trying to be a successful emperor, she had to battle a whole court system who were misogynistic and traditional in thinking. Not only that, her actions trickled down years later and propelled China into the Golden age. Ruthless or not, she had a devotion to the throne and making China a great place. In my eyes, she was a good ruler for her time.
If this story is really true then it's quite impressive. The scale of her tomb and the monuments she constructed shows her power. Brilliant!
Of course it's true Wuzetian is one of the most famous people in China.
If?...
its not.true...fox news is the truth...lol hahaha
its true. she also commisioned the biggest statue in dunhuang. she was truly something else
无字成碑何须 留予世人印拓
史书自有身后话
A ruthless person clawing their way to power and holding it by playing their rivals off against each other and eliminating those who are most dangerous? Many have done this, many in far worse ways, but have any done more for their Country and People for so long? A remarkable woman who became a ruler few if any have ever equaled. Across the centuries looking back, I think on the balance of Karma, the good she did out weighs the bad, I hope she found peace in the night that follows day.
During her day, the commoners adore her and (Tang) China was in the ascendancy and golden age. Tang China start to slide after her grandson's (Xuanzong) reign. Her power-struggles and maneuvering were mostly limited to the aristocrats, higher level court officials and members of her husband family.
If reincarnation actually existed she was queen Elizabeth the first.
@@3monsters014 It does its spoken of in many cultures , the accounts of children who know things they shouldnt . It can be said that we are eternal . past present future in a eternal moment of now . we die next step then if interested or asked to we come back . god can be all of us experiencing creation .
She Kill her children and grandchildren. She Evil
Regardless of gender, being able to rule ancient China with tens of millions of people, stretching from Pacific Ocean to Central Asia for tens of years, and creating great prosperity, can prove anyone to be among the most capable human beings ever lived.
Wow! Fantastic documentary! Thank you Timeline.
So basically Wu Zetian's historians back in the day: ''but her emails!''😂
Other fun facts: she wrote a Collection of Biographies of Notable Women, a series of Teachings for Gov Officials, added bibliography for the imperial university, aside from also writing poetry. Some also believe she might be the one who pushed printing from a curiosity invention into mass scale, since she started commissioning large quantities of buddhist texts to distribute, 100 thousand copies of a particular text they say, so printing was more practical. The oldest printed book in the world that still survives today is a work commissioned by her and is in a Tokyo Museum.
PozoBlue great points but big correction, it was woodblock printing, not a printing press. The printing press proper wasn't invented until the 15th century in Germany by Johannes Gutenberg. That being said the Chinese did invent and use movable type on a limited basis since the 11th century during the Song Dynasty, as described by Shen Kuo.
@@ericconnor8251 You're correct. Unfortunately the nature of Chinese script meant moveable type was fairly cumbersome, so people saw no reason to stop using wooden blocks. The *idea* of moveable type was destined to flourish in cultures with languages written with a limited alphabet - i.e. EUROPE!
Ahh, bless you guys for having this knowledge. True scholars of our time.
@@ericconnor8251 yes, I shouldn't have used the word "press" as the more mechanized machine with the lever was made in europe, though technically the chinese method did press the block against the paper manually :) but you are correct. I'll edit the word press out. Thanks for pointing it out! 👍
@@PozoBlue No problem! It's a minor quibble.
This is my first time hearing of Wu Zetian. I enjoyed this documentary, thank you.
Chinese History is really fascinating and there are many important figures to study. We have the Emperors, the generals, the military tacticians, and the royal consorts who in rare cases like Wu, rise to a very influential position in court. Korean history is just as amazing.
@Alejandra Parker I'm very interested in the documentary of princess Ahn, could you sent a link?
To be honest, I'm her descendant. Thank you for supporting my grand grand grand grandma.
What a fabulous woman! It’s so ridiculous to carry on about the so called terribly cruel things she did, when male ruler’s did all that and more without people even noticing! This woman was obviously incredibly intelligent, determined, self controlled, ambitious, and both well spoken and well read! I believe the world would have been a better place if we had had more ruler’s like her, instead of some of the greedy, self serving and frankly stupid men that ruled!
I have to point this out that who they have playing Wu Zetian in all stages of her life are wonderful actress. They give you the feel of being in that time frame.
Love to hear about amazing & intelligent women like Wu Zetian leading countries & succeeding! This should let any woman know that you could do anything you aspire to be!
RESPECT!
Maybe this could be further developed to other regions as well? en.unesco.org/womeninafrica/ ;)
Even if other emperors were ruthless , she shouldn't be praised for forcing her son to commit suicide. Plain stupid
Just before "Wu Zetian" became an empress, the first queen came out in Korea as well.(Great queen Sundeok of Unified Silla). At that time, the emperor of the Tang Dynasty laughed at Korea because we make woman as a king. But who would have expected his daughter-in-law to become a empress LOL?
be real. at that time，there is no korean and it was not a empire.
Idk what's the beef with women being leaders? And it's always some jealous and insecure men who always tarnish a successful woman's accomplishments. Still hold truth until now.
I totally agree with you. Wu Zetian stabilized people's lives through new tax system and canal construction, and Queen Sundeok developed numerous Korea's architectural arts. People are more focused on sexual gossip than on women's achievements. It's very childish behavior.
@@user-qh3hv3fv9w I known Sundeok because of the popular drama at first and she's one force to be reckoned with upon reading her historical articles in the net. Other prominent Korean leaders like Ex Pres. Park Geum Hye...that was one weird scandal and good riddance that Koreans ousted her properly and she stepped out well.
There is no korea as a kingdom during tang dynasty
U must be joking
That was so refreshing. I loved this!
I'm happy that there are people in this world that uncover the truth about real values and heroes. Thanks for sharing!
that's a magnificent statue of Buddha....such great artistry rivalling even that of the ancient Greek sculptors.
Off topic but the “empress of China” tv show based on Wu Zetian was so good on portraying her character. She became ruthless because of her enemies became a threat or were trying to harm her.
I really love that show
Where can I watch this show?
Very innacurate too🤣
I have to say I watch documentaries often this was one of the best ones that I watched you in awhile thank you for posting.
She has been maliciously maligned , in her final moment of life she was on horseback ( her favorite personal joy ) , as her horse jumped across a stream her spirit soared leaving her body . May she Rest In Peace 🌹🕊️
Chinese women are strong af...the worlds most powerful pirate was a Chinese woman too
Sadly you're European.
James Freeman that’s hilarious because I’m 100% asian so I don’t know where you got the European from
They really are.
James Freeman What has race to do with her comment?
Every females from all kind of animals to human are strong
Wu ZeTian 武則天 did wonderful things for China. Previous to her, sons of nobles got to power and she wanted more talented people in government and she introduced civil service examination to identify talented people for official posts. China continued with this until 1911.
Men wrote the history of China and they did not like her. But she was very good for China!
......公务员考试在她的王朝前的上一个帝国就已经推行了，她只是继承了以前的政策
The civil service examination is not her achievement. The civil service examination originated in the Sui Dynasty and was perfected in the Tang Dynasty. It was implemented by the emperor before Wu Zetian.
This was fascinating. Thank you for posting
They are calling her evil for killing people including her son for power when in fact most of the emperors that had reign killed their own brothers or father for power. Wow women are so intimidating indeed.
Who else finish watching this documentary?
LOve ancient china
Am a proud Chinese
me lol
I’m only 1/4 Chinese but still proud ：）
She always intrigued me. Thanks for making a documentary to learn more
Never really heard of her or go into depth about her history, but after watching this it definitely intrigues me too.
T
History of Chang’An always make me cry 😢
Wow! Really great to see how Chang Ling was given some attention. When I went there in 2003, there were no trees and the site was in a neglected condition. Even then, the place was very impressive.
Not going to lie, the harem of the imperial emperor has always been cutthroat. You gotta do what you gotta do to survive in there. Power is everything then and it still is now.
You failed to include the accompanying gold, loyalty and / or paper.
This channel deserves alot more praise than it gets. So much great content.
Amazing... Thank you for sharing!
I've seen these Empress Wu history and I am impressed about her regime. She never showed her weaknesses, yet she is a she and am fascinated, moved and WOOOWW 👏 👏
I'm not surprised her rule was demonised and largely obliterated in terms of the good she did. It has happened to many female leaders around the world - Queen Nefertiti (Egypt), Queen Elizabeth 1 (UK), Queen Alexandria (Russia), Livia Augustus (Roma), Cleopatra (Egypt), and probably others we haven't found again yet. Their reigns didn't tie in with the belief that patriarchy has about women's ability to rule. As others have mentioned, Wu Zetian, and the other women mentioned above, would not have had long reigns if those in power around them hadn't been making any gains. Also, these women were dealing with societies that believed they were incapable, so yes, they had to be ruthless too. So, in terms of Wu Zetian's son, maybe he had wanted her assassinated and undo all she had created. Perhaps she only did to him what he had planned for her (I haven't read all about that situation - but to kill your child, you'd have a strong provocation).
i mean she changed the royal bloodline from Li to wu (which was considered high treason) and changed the dynasty from tang to zhou
A woman of wisdom, ability to protect her position from enemies and provide stability and prosperity to her nation. A woman of power. A King among the Kings.
Amazing documentary. Thank u team for explaining it clearly.
Amazing. Not just her, that goes without saying.. but the history of China, the beautiful ancient buildings, the artifacts... all of it. As an American it's awe inspiring. We have our history, and it's amazing in it's own right, as such a young country, in the scheme of the evolution of man. This is another level though. Almost unfathomable. Man, I love history.
The headdress the actress wears is beautiful. Especially when the light hits it, and gives this rainbow effect on her figure.
Here is an interesting fact. The earliest official Tang history material “Tang Huiyao”and “old Book of Tang”( both completed in the 10th century) , describes Wu Zetian positively and there is no clear records of her killing any of her child. But then, starts from the 11th century historians begin to vividly describe her as cruel ruler and evil murderer of her four Children. One historian even narrates her facial expression while she murdering her daughter as if he had a time machine. Nowadays most TV SHOWs and FILMs are also doing so. History is not do her and her husband (who are often pictured as timid and weak-willed) justices. In fact, these two are great rulers in history (though not saint). They took down old nobility power Bazhuguo and promoted national exam system that allowed people who are not born from noble family have a political pass throw education. During his and then her reign, China established a society that is prosper, strong in military and culturally extreme open in the 7th century.
When it comes to historical figures, it really depends on what stories you'd want to believe or find entertaining because there are bound to be multiple conflicting stories about their character- none of which can be verified with certainty.
Thanks for posting. Also fantastic to hear actor Rufus Sewell narrating.
She may have done some very horrifying things, but you can’t deny that she was a good ruler and at least didn’t ruin the economy
A lot of people during those times made horrible things by our modern standards.
A truly good ruler doesn't have to do horrible things. Doing horrible things is always a sign of weakness.
Kay Punch No, that’s the world we live in buttercup. It’s not sunshine and rainbows - and neither are its spawn! (Yeah I’m talking about us lol)
@@CaptainXiJinpooh if that is what you think then that means you probably wont survive in that era.
This was a great documentary idc what anybody says.
And no one cares what you say snowflake
Only one word i can say "Wowww".... Regardless about the bad and the good things that she did, she is incredible leader i think.. Thanks for the people that made this knowledge become possibly known and easy to understand.
Amazing documentry. Subbed. Cant wait to watch more!
Wu Zetian did what she had to do for the good of the Chinese Empire. This is a very interesting documentary.
Wu Zetian gave name to japan, she ordered Japan ambassador convey the message to his emperor. japan aka Nippon aka Land of the Rising Sun, since Japan is east of China, sun rises in japan before China.
In fact, it is the Japanese who want Wu Zetian to recognize the name, otherwise they are not a country. Wu Zetian is annoyed, allowing Japan to use this title, it is not as beautiful as you think.
Sun rises in japan before the whole world.
@Justin Xie Cool fact! Thanks for sharing :)
@@yourmailishere and the earth is flat
Justin Xie WOW! She must be so well respected and worshipped back in the days!!
This is one of my all time favorite queen stories... Greatnesss💪🏽💪🏽