Western Wu Research

There used to be many female regents in Chinaese history, such as Empress Lv in Western Han Dynasty, Empress Chia Nanfeng in Western Ch’in, Empress Feng and Hu in Northern Wei, Empress Wu in Tang Dynasty, Empress Hsiao in Liao Dynasty, Empress Dowager Tzu-hsi in Ch’ing Dyansty, among which, Empress Wu was the only one who declared to be a female monarch.Wu had been an empress for fifteen years from she usurped the throne of Tang in lunar calendar September9th to she had to abdicated because of the Coup d’etat of Shenlong in705. If dating back to the time when she began to interfere the political affairs in655, she had been a real ruler of the Tang Empire for nearly fifty years. The period of Wu’s ruling was considered as a time of transferring from Tang Taitsung’s prosperity of Chenkuan to Hsuantsung’s proserity of Kaiyuan, during which, the Tang Empire experienced a stable political environment, and its economy continued to grow and it also had a strong national power. In the field of politics, she struck the power of nobility based on the ares of Kuanlong severely under the help of landlords in estern areas. Meanwhile, the Civil Service had been consummated and the military election had been established. And Wu also paid attention to electing the talents. Consequently, many famous characters in the time of Hsuantsung like Yao Ch’ung and Sung Ching were able to be lifted as the premier ministers later. When it came to the field of economy, she put forward a series of policies to develop the agriculture. In field of religion and culture, she started a wave of worship the buddhism and constructed so many architectures connected with buddhism. In the foreign and military areas, Wu seized the four towns captured by Tibet in Ansi in Sinkiang and set up the Protecterate of Peiting. As a result, Tang consolidated its power in Sinkiang. Her meaures caused benefits as well as defacts. Her measures to develop the agriculture was of great help to mantain the growth of the economy; her measure to strike the power of Kuanlong led to the downfall of the inherited power so that many talented people born in a poor family could enter the court. However, because of her interest in Buddhism, she constructed Mingtang and other temples in Loyang, the citizens undertook a heavy burdon of tax and compulsory laber. Furthermore, in the process of seizing power, she appeared to be very cruel and adopted so many cruel official to prosecute the Li clans and the people who clung to them. And also Wu was very dissolute in her sexual life. All these left a side effect in Chinese history.Wu is a legendary character in ancient Chinese history. People in different time had distinct views on her and her rulings. In Tang Dynasty, she enjoyed a deep respection by the later emperors. But in the following dynasties, she was slandered by the traditional scholars according to the feudual principles, and they even denied the legality of her and her empire. In modern times, especially since the People’s Repblic of China was founded, with the influence of western historical ideas, some changes about the assessment of Empress Wu have taken place, and more and more scholars tended to change their views on Empress Wu. They admitted Wu’s achievements in Chinese history. Some of them like Kuo Mojo proclaimed that Wu should be given a new and objective comment.When the Chinese scholars changed their views on Wu, many western scholars started their study on Empress Wu. From1950s, a series of western scholars devoted to studying Wu, such as British Charles Patrick Fitzgerald, Italian Antonino Forte, Canadian Richard William Louis Guisso, American Norman Harry Rothschilde and so on. In the process of their study, they adopted the different way from Chinese scholars to get a great deal of progross.In their study process, they took various kinds of ways to study Wu. Unlike our Chinese scholars who have a prejudice for Wu, they stand in a neutral way. We should learn from them in many aspects of study.