Barrett, T.H. (2019) 'Breaking the Reputation of Female Rule in China: Daoism and the Rewriting of the History of the Reign of Wu Zhao (624-705).' NAN NÜ: Men, Women and Gender in China, 21 (2). pp. 183-193.
Abstract
Usurpation by a woman made the reign of Wu Zhao a problem in the history writing of the restored Tang dynasty (618-907; interregnum 690-705) and thereafter that has often attracted the epithet ‘Confucian’. An examination of the rewriting of history to change the meaning of two miracles reported during her reign – the appearance of a new (though small) mountain and of Laozi, supposed ancestor of the Tang imperial line – shows that among those keen to repurpose these events were later Daoists, who were engaged in a long term struggle with the Buddhists, the main beneficiaries of her rule. This suggests that we need a more nuanced approach than simply designating all retrospective criticism of her as ‘Confucian’, even if the ultimate origins of the attempts at historical revision are as yet hard to discern.
| Item Type: | Journal Article |
|---|---|
| SOAS Departments & Centres: | Departments and Subunits > School of History, Religions & Philosophies Departments and Subunits > School of History, Religions & Philosophies > Department of History |
| Subjects: | D History General and Old World > DS Asia |
| ISSN: | 13876805 |
| DOI (Digital Object Identifier): | https://doi.org/10.1163/15685268-00212P01 |
| Date Deposited: | 23 Mar 2025 07:35 |
| URI: | https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/id/eprint/43655 |
| Related URLs: |
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