This article is about an interregnal period of the Tang dynasty. For other dynasties named Zhou, see Zhou.
Zhou, known in historiography as the Wu Zhou (Chinese: 武周), Southern Zhou (Chinese: 南周), Second Zhou or Restored Zhou, was a short-lived Chinese imperial dynasty that existed between 690 and 705, when Wu Zhao (commonly known as Wu Zetian) ruled as empress regnant. The dynasty began when Wu Zhao usurped the throne of her son, the Emperor Ruizong of Tang, and lasted until the Emperor Zhongzong of Tang was restored to the throne in the Shenlong Coup. Historians generally view the Wu Zhou as an interregnum of the Tang dynasty.
The sole ruler of Wu Zhou was Wu Zetian. She took the name "Wu Zhao" upon her coronation. Wu named her dynasty after the ancient Zhou dynasty, from whom she believed herself to be descended.
Before her coronation, Wu Zhao (as she was then known), was often acting as de facto regent for her husband, Emperor Gaozong, or her sons, giving her a head-start in accomplishing her aims, which she then consolidated as huangdi of Zhou once she became ruler in name also. Beginning in 655, Wu began to preside over court meetings in the name of the emperor, and she co-ruled with Emperor Gaozong until his death. After Gaozong's death, she ruled in name of her sons, who reigned officially as puppet emperors, and power was completely and solely into the her hands. In 690, she deposed her son, Emperor Ruizong, and declared herself Huangdi (emperor) of her Zhou Dynasty.
History
Longmen Grottoes, begun before the life of Wu Zetian, she contributed greatly to them, both as wife of Gaozu and during her subsequent Zhou dynasty. In 2000 the site was inscribed upon the UNESCOWorld Heritage List as "an outstanding manifestation of human artistic creativity"
The dynasty's capital was Shendu[3] (神都 "Divine Capital", present-day Luoyang). Despite Wu's infamous rise to power, there is evidence that suggests women were granted more privileges during her reign, and China was in a state of great prosperity during her rule.
The dynasty's state religions were Buddhism and Daoism, both of which Wu Zetian exploited for self-promoting propaganda.[4] The monk Xue Huaiyi claimed to have found a document predicting the reign of a woman of great merit who would become universal ruler [5] In support of her imperial ambitions, Wu Zetian also proclaimed herself "Sage Mother", having statues of Laozi's mother as "Sage Mother" placed in Daoist temples[6]
Wu Zetian became a very active supporter of Buddhism, Furthermore, she claimed to be an incarnation of Maitreya, writing a document called the Great Cloud Sutra, which prophesied that a female emperor would eradicate illness, worry and disaster from the world. She sought the support of the Buddhist clergy to this end. In 673 Wu provided 20,000 cash for a gigantic statue of Maitreya at Longmen Grottoes.[7] Unlike her predecessor's dynasty, Wu Zetian selected people in her government based on their skills, and not on their status. The Buddhist clergy created a document called Commentary on the Meaning of the Prophecy about Shenhuang, which predicted a female Chakravartin who would rule the Jambudvipa as the reincarnation of Vimalaprabha. This document was presented to Wu Zetian two months before the proclamation of the Zhou Dynasty.
Various other documents were also written such as The Great Spell of Unsullied Pure Light, also predicting the rise of a female monarch, of which Wu Zetian ordered 100,000 copies be printed and distributed.[8]
Traditionalist Chinese historiography considers the dynasty as a period of the Tang dynasty, as Wu was also the former empress consort of a Tang emperor and was buried in Qianling Mausoleum, a Tang royal mausoleum. Furthermore, Wu Zetian was the only emperor of Zhou China, which does not fit the concept of a dynasty. There were, however, other dynasties of a similar length, such as the Xin dynasty, or much shorter in length, such as the Shun dynasty. Wu Zetian's rule was long also seen as a period of great tyranny, though in more recent decades this seems to have lessened or reversed, as the appearance of Wu Zetian in countless Chinese works of fiction seems to depict her as a wise ruler. Nevertheless, historically (rather than according to novels) her reign began and continued with extensive violence, combined with the use of secret police and a network of informers. The debate about Wu's use of violence and coercion is more as to how some of it may have been exaggerated and how much of it was necessary for her own survival, particularly given the animosity of the clans of old nobility of the northern China plain that adamantly opposed her, together with a social and political system which found a woman of her accomplishments to be anathema solely on the basis of gender.
The Unwritten Monument, erected by Wu Zetian without the usual inscribing of text, due to her view that what she had to express was too sublime to be expressed in words. Located in the Qianling Mausoleum.
The Wu Zhou dynasty had many achievements both in a broader historical sense as well as in contrast to the reigns of Emperors Zhongzong and Ruizong whose reigns bracketed hers, and in contrast to her weak and sickly husband Emperor Gaozong of Tang. Wu's reign resulted in a greater level of Chinese imperial power both externally and internally. This was accomplished along with diminishing the power of the old official class, drawn from the traditionally powerful clans, thus greatly changing the dynamics of power in China. Wu Zetian greatly enhanced the prestige and effectiveness of the civil service recruitment tests, filling government positions by skills demonstrated in written examinations, and opening them up to men of all classes. She followed this with popular promotions and increased salaries. Wu issued Acts of Grace and other decrees of relief for the commons, and funded religious activities. However, toward the end of her reign she lost popular support due to the influence of the two young Zhang brothers she took as lovers and the resulting corruption in government. When her court officials intervened, they killed the Zhang brothers, Wu Zetian abdicated the next day, and the so-called Zhou dynasty fizzled to an end with the restoration of the Tang.[9] Nevertheless, some of Wu Zetian's achievements have left their mark on history, such as the emphasis in subsequent Chinese history on merit-based examinations, as well as extant monuments, including huge parts of Longmen Grottoes. Wu Zetian was personally an author and poet, with many surviving works, including sixty-one essays under her name recorded in the Quan Tangwen "Collected Tang Essays" and forty-six poems collected in the Quan Tangshi anthology of Tang poetry. Wu Zetian and her court left a remarkable legacy of poetry and literature from the end of Gaozu's reign and even more so during her Zhou dynasty period, during which the Zhuying ji poetry anthology was published, the poets of which were very influential to the subsequent flourishing of Tang poetry. Thus, though the Zhou dynasty failed to take root as an actual dynasty, it was one of the more important eras in Chinese history, and of influence on modern global culture.
Barrett, T. H. 2008. The Woman Who Discovered Printing. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN978-0-300-12728-7
Paludan, Ann (1998). Chronicle of the Chinese Emperors: The Reign-by-Reign Record of the Rulers of Imperial China. New York, New York: Thames and Hudson. ISBN0-500-05090-2
June 02, 2023
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This article is about an interregnal period of the Tang dynasty For other dynasties named Zhou see Zhou Zhou known in historiography as the Wu Zhou Chinese 武周 Southern Zhou Chinese 南周 Second Zhou or Restored Zhou was a short lived Chinese imperial dynasty that existed between 690 and 705 when Wu Zhao commonly known as Wu Zetian ruled as empress regnant The dynasty began when Wu Zhao usurped the throne of her son the Emperor Ruizong of Tang and lasted until the Emperor Zhongzong of Tang was restored to the throne in the Shenlong Coup Historians generally view the Wu Zhou as an interregnum of the Tang dynasty Zhou周690 705Wu Zhou c 700StatusEmpireCapitalShendu Luoyang Common languagesChineseReligionBuddhism state religion Taoism Confucianism Chinese folk religionGovernmentAbsolute MonarchyEmpress 690 705Wu ZetianHistory Established by Wu Zetian17 October 1 690 Empress Wu Zetian deposed21 February 2 705CurrencyChinese coin Chinese cashPreceded by Succeeded byTang dynasty Tang dynastySecond Turkic KhaganateBalhaeThe sole ruler of Wu Zhou was Wu Zetian She took the name Wu Zhao upon her coronation Wu named her dynasty after the ancient Zhou dynasty from whom she believed herself to be descended Contents 1 Background 2 History 3 Achievements 4 See also 5 References 6 BibliographyBackground EditBefore her coronation Wu Zhao as she was then known was often acting as de facto regent for her husband Emperor Gaozong or her sons giving her a head start in accomplishing her aims which she then consolidated as huangdi of Zhou once she became ruler in name also Beginning in 655 Wu began to preside over court meetings in the name of the emperor and she co ruled with Emperor Gaozong until his death After Gaozong s death she ruled in name of her sons who reigned officially as puppet emperors and power was completely and solely into the her hands In 690 she deposed her son Emperor Ruizong and declared herself Huangdi emperor of her Zhou Dynasty History Edit Longmen Grottoes begun before the life of Wu Zetian she contributed greatly to them both as wife of Gaozu and during her subsequent Zhou dynasty In 2000 the site was inscribed upon the UNESCO World Heritage List as an outstanding manifestation of human artistic creativity The dynasty s capital was Shendu 3 神都 Divine Capital present day Luoyang Despite Wu s infamous rise to power there is evidence that suggests women were granted more privileges during her reign and China was in a state of great prosperity during her rule The dynasty s state religions were Buddhism and Daoism both of which Wu Zetian exploited for self promoting propaganda 4 The monk Xue Huaiyi claimed to have found a document predicting the reign of a woman of great merit who would become universal ruler 5 In support of her imperial ambitions Wu Zetian also proclaimed herself Sage Mother having statues of Laozi s mother as Sage Mother placed in Daoist temples 6 Wu Zetian became a very active supporter of Buddhism Furthermore she claimed to be an incarnation of Maitreya writing a document called the Great Cloud Sutra which prophesied that a female emperor would eradicate illness worry and disaster from the world She sought the support of the Buddhist clergy to this end In 673 Wu provided 20 000 cash for a gigantic statue of Maitreya at Longmen Grottoes 7 Unlike her predecessor s dynasty Wu Zetian selected people in her government based on their skills and not on their status The Buddhist clergy created a document called Commentary on the Meaning of the Prophecy about Shenhuang which predicted a female Chakravartin who would rule the Jambudvipa as the reincarnation of Vimalaprabha This document was presented to Wu Zetian two months before the proclamation of the Zhou Dynasty Various other documents were also written such as The Great Spell of Unsullied Pure Light also predicting the rise of a female monarch of which Wu Zetian ordered 100 000 copies be printed and distributed 8 Traditionalist Chinese historiography considers the dynasty as a period of the Tang dynasty as Wu was also the former empress consort of a Tang emperor and was buried in Qianling Mausoleum a Tang royal mausoleum Furthermore Wu Zetian was the only emperor of Zhou China which does not fit the concept of a dynasty There were however other dynasties of a similar length such as the Xin dynasty or much shorter in length such as the Shun dynasty Wu Zetian s rule was long also seen as a period of great tyranny though in more recent decades this seems to have lessened or reversed as the appearance of Wu Zetian in countless Chinese works of fiction seems to depict her as a wise ruler Nevertheless historically rather than according to novels her reign began and continued with extensive violence combined with the use of secret police and a network of informers The debate about Wu s use of violence and coercion is more as to how some of it may have been exaggerated and how much of it was necessary for her own survival particularly given the animosity of the clans of old nobility of the northern China plain that adamantly opposed her together with a social and political system which found a woman of her accomplishments to be anathema solely on the basis of gender Achievements Edit Giant Wild Goose Pagoda re built during the Wu Zhou dynasty The Unwritten Monument erected by Wu Zetian without the usual inscribing of text due to her view that what she had to express was too sublime to be expressed in words Located in the Qianling Mausoleum The Wu Zhou dynasty had many achievements both in a broader historical sense as well as in contrast to the reigns of Emperors Zhongzong and Ruizong whose reigns bracketed hers and in contrast to her weak and sickly husband Emperor Gaozong of Tang Wu s reign resulted in a greater level of Chinese imperial power both externally and internally This was accomplished along with diminishing the power of the old official class drawn from the traditionally powerful clans thus greatly changing the dynamics of power in China Wu Zetian greatly enhanced the prestige and effectiveness of the civil service recruitment tests filling government positions by skills demonstrated in written examinations and opening them up to men of all classes She followed this with popular promotions and increased salaries Wu issued Acts of Grace and other decrees of relief for the commons and funded religious activities However toward the end of her reign she lost popular support due to the influence of the two young Zhang brothers she took as lovers and the resulting corruption in government When her court officials intervened they killed the Zhang brothers Wu Zetian abdicated the next day and the so called Zhou dynasty fizzled to an end with the restoration of the Tang 9 Nevertheless some of Wu Zetian s achievements have left their mark on history such as the emphasis in subsequent Chinese history on merit based examinations as well as extant monuments including huge parts of Longmen Grottoes Wu Zetian was personally an author and poet with many surviving works including sixty one essays under her name recorded in the Quan Tangwen Collected Tang Essays and forty six poems collected in the Quan Tangshi anthology of Tang poetry Wu Zetian and her court left a remarkable legacy of poetry and literature from the end of Gaozu s reign and even more so during her Zhou dynasty period during which the Zhuying ji poetry anthology was published the poets of which were very influential to the subsequent flourishing of Tang poetry Thus though the Zhou dynasty failed to take root as an actual dynasty it was one of the more important eras in Chinese history and of influence on modern global culture See also EditWang Mang who established the Xin dynasty a similarly short lived interregnum during the Han dynastyReferences Edit Uwitchett Denis Chen gui and Other Works Attributed to Empress Wu Zetian PDF p 20 Uwitchett Denis Chen gui and Other Works Attributed to Empress Wu Zetian PDF p 71 Buddhism Diplomacy and Trade The Realignment of India China Relations Tansen Sen Paludan 1998 100 Paludan 1998 99 Paludan 1998 100 101 Paludan 1998 99 The Woman Who Discovered Printing T H Barrett Paludan 1998 96 101Bibliography EditBarrett T H 2008 The Woman Who Discovered Printing New Haven Yale University Press ISBN 978 0 300 12728 7 Paludan Ann 1998 Chronicle of the Chinese Emperors The Reign by Reign Record of the Rulers of Imperial China New York New York Thames and Hudson ISBN 0 500 05090 2 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Zhou dynasty 690 705 amp oldid 1153164426, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
