5 Fascinating Chinese Women from Medieval China

From the early medieval period to the High Middle Ages, there was a multitude of famous Chinese women, who helped to shape the way China developed. From great empresses to poets, the following list of famous Chinese women has been compiled with regard to their impact on Chinese history, culture, society, and the role of women in this period. Although Chinese society was a heavily male-dominated society throughout the medieval period, nevertheless there were still a number of women who more than held their own against their male counterparts, and to this day, stand out as key figures in Chinese history.To get more news about women in ancient china, you can visit shine news official website.

The first famous Chinese woman on this list is Princess Pingyang, who was born sometime during the 590s. She was the daughter of Li Yuan, who became the founding emperor of the Tang Dynasty, which ruled China from 618-690, and again from 705-907. She famously helped her father to seize power from the short-lived Sui Dynasty (581-618).

In 617, Li Yuan (Princess Pingyang’s father) planned to rebel against Emperor Yang of Sui, as he had previously been imprisoned by him. He sent a letter to his daughter and her husband, Chai Shao, summoning them back to Taiyuan, as they were both currently in the Sui capital of Chang’an.

Chai Shao was not convinced that the pair of them would be able to escape, but Pingyang told him to go regardless, saying that she, as a woman, would be able to hide more easily. After a short period of hiding, Pingyang distributed her wealth among several hundred men and received their loyalty. She then openly rose up in support of her father.

Pingyang sent her servant, Ma Sanbao, to persuade other rebel leaders to join her, and a multitude of them did: He Panren, Li Zhongwen, Xiang Shanzhi, and Qui Shili. She then led these rebel leaders and their supporters and captured some of the nearby cities. In all, she had amassed a force of 70,000 men.

Following Pingyang’s victories, Li Yuan crossed the Yellow River into the Chang’an area and sent Chai Shao (who had successfully escaped and met up with Li Yuan) to rendezvous with Pingyang. They both commanded separate wings of the army and they were both granted the role of General. Pingyang’s force was known as the “Army of the Lady”.

Wu was born on the 17th of February 624 in Lizhou China, under the Tang Dynasty, and her father was a wealthy man. As a result, he ensured that she received a good education, which was unusual for women at the time. She was taken to be a concubine of Emperor Taizong (r. 626-49) at age 14, but due to her beauty and intelligence, the emperor promoted her to be his secretary instead.
However, while Emperor Taizong was still alive, Wu had an affair with his son, Li Zhu. Taizong died in 649, and Li succeeded him as Emperor Gaozong. In Tang China, when an emperor died, it was expected that all his concubines would shave their heads and live their lives out of court in chastity. However, Gaozong ordered Wu back to court almost as soon as he had taken the imperial throne.
Not all of the women on this list are members of the royal imperial families and this one is a fine example: a poet, who is one of the most famous Chinese women of the medieval era.

Li Qingzhao was born in 1084 in Jinan, Shandong, on the eastern coast of China, during the Song Dynasty (960-1279). Her father was an academic professor, and her mother was a poet. Li received a good education, and studied literature during her teen years.