5 Most Powerful Women in Chinese History

Hey guys, what's going on? It's Off the Great Wall. It's Dan. It's Mike. We talk a lot about Chinese history and culture, and when we talk about Chinese history, many of the significant roles were played by men. Right, you got the emperors, the warriors, generals, usually all men, scholars, kung fu masters. Exactly. But there are women who also played a huge part in Chinese history. These women were not just another pretty face. Of course, some were considered heroes, others villains, but none can dispute the impact these women had. So here are the five most powerful women in Chinese history. Wu Zetian. If you thought all Chinese emperors were men, then you would be mistaken. During the most glorious years of the Tang Dynasty, a woman did rule, and ruled successfully. Wu Zetian was a concubine of Emperor Taizong. After his death, she married his successor and ninth son, Emperor Gaozong, officially becoming Gaozong's empress in 655. After Emperor Gaozong suffered a stroke in 690, which left him unable to attend to state affairs, Wu Zetian ruled as the effective sovereign until 705. Wu Zetian found the best people she could to run the government. Everyone had to compete for government positions by taking exams, thus setting the practice of government run by scholars. During her reign, Empress Wu placed Buddhism over Taoism as the favorite state religion. She invited the most gifted scholars to China and built Buddhist temples and cave sculptures. Chinese Buddhism achieved its highest development under the reign of Wu Zetian. Next, Fu Hao. Fu Hao, or Lady Hao, was one of the many wives of King Wuding of the Shang Dynasty, and unusually for that time, she also served as a military general and high priestess. According to divinations inscribed on oracle bones, she was the first woman general with marvelous military achievements. Fu Hao headed an army of 13,000 soldiers, the largest number of troops during the king's reign. She was kept busy by the many campaigns that Wuding fought against the people on the borders of the Shang Kingdom. As if being a military leader was not enough, she served as a high priestess and oracle caster as well. These are very unusual roles for a woman to play at that time because the king held complete sway over ritual matters. King Wuding often asked Fu Hao to conduct special rituals and offer sacrifices to the ancestors. This proved not only that Fu Hao was highly respected, but also that she obviously had the king's confidence. Next, Cixi. Empress Cixi of the Manchu Yehanara clan was a powerful woman who effectively controlled the Chinese government for 47 years from 1861 to her death in 1908. Although both Wu Zetian and Cixi ruled over China, the perception of their rule is vastly different. Wu Zetian's rule is viewed as a success, but Cixi's ruling period was regarded as the weakest period of the Qing Dynasty. Selected as an imperial concubine for the Xianfeng Emperor in her adolescence, she gave birth to a son in 1856. With Xianfeng's death in 1861, the young boy became the Tongzhi Emperor and she became Emperor's dowager. Cixi then consolidated control over the dynasty. At the death of the Tongzhi Emperor, contrary to the rules of the dynasty, she installed her nephew as the Guangxu Emperor in 1875. The Qing Dynasty collapsed in late 1911, three years after her death, and the Republican era was inaugurated January 1st, 1912. Historians both in China and abroad have generally portrayed her as a despot and villain responsible for the fall of the Qing Dynasty, while others have suggested that her opponents among the reformers succeeded in making her a scapegoat for problems beyond her control. Next, Mu Guiying. Whether Mu Guiying actually existed has been questioned, but she is now a household name. Starting in the 10th century, generation after generation, the Yang family risked everything to defend the Middle Kingdom. The family has since been synonymous with unwavering loyalty, its legacy recorded in a collection of stories known as the Generals of the Yang Clan. The family's first famous warrior was Yang Ye. Yang Ye had eight sons, and perhaps the most outstanding was Yang Yanzhao. Alongside the rest of his family, Yang Yanzhao fought for his country until his death at the age of 57. But war took a heavy toll on the family, and as the invading forces drew near, the last of the Yang generals was killed. This is when the Yang family's female warriors rose to stand against the enemy. Perhaps the most famous of the young female warriors was Mu Guiying. Mu Guiying was the wife of Yang Wenguang, son of Yang VI, a talented tactician. Mu was able to deliver the Khitan a heavy blow by breaking their previously indomitable heavenly gate formation. Soon after defeating the Khitan, a new force arose to threaten the Song dynasty, the Western Xia. It was then that Yang Wenguang, the family's last male general, was killed. Mu Guiying, along with her faithful maid Yang Peifeng, and all the young widows took charge of the emperor's military, defeated the Western Xia, and saved the dynasty. I remember when I left China as a little kid, the only manga series I had was about the Yang family clan. I mean, this is pretty badass, right? I mean, the mother was like, dude, let's gather everybody and the maids and kick some butt. What? It's also badass that these women were able to take on the men of other kingdoms and just like crush them. Okay, I got a question. So, between like what all the women have to do, when did they have time to learn how to fight? Yo, they fight when they were young. They were trained as warriors. Oh, okay. From the warrior family. Ah, warrior family. Yeah. Like Mulan. Speaking of Mulan, she's the next person on our list. Hua Mulan. This is the hero most of us probably are familiar with because of Disney. Mulan is the heroine of a popular Chinese legend in which a woman disguises herself as a man and goes to war in place of her elderly father. The exact period when Hua Mulan lived is unclear, but it is widely believed the story takes place during the Northern and Southern dynasties. Back then, outlying tribes invaded China's central plains and the imperial government Mulan's brother was too young, so her ailing elderly father had to go. Concerned for his health, Mulan disguised herself as a man and took her father's place in the war. She fought courageously for 12 years, contributing to numerous victories. After the war ended, the emperor bestowed honors on her and wished to make Mulan a high-ranking official. Mulan declined, preferring to return home to care for her aging parents. It was only when her fellow soldiers came to visit Mulan's village that they discovered her secret. So what do you think about all these women that were able to shape Chinese history? Alright, so my favorite story of course is Mulan. Is it? But, I think the most unbelievable story, the most incredible story is Mu Guiying because it's insane to think that a group of women took control of the emperor's troops. Can I just tell you? Yeah. I had the biggest crush on Mu Guiying. Really? Yeah! The comics I had talked about the story of how she practiced martial arts and all that stuff. I'm like, yo, I have a crush on this girl from ancient China that might not even exist. Well, the last two stories, Mu Guiying and Mulan, we actually saw in the stages of Shen Yun Performing Arts in New York City. Right. If you guys don't know what that is, Shen Yun is a music and dance troupe. Basically what they do is they put on stage 5,000 years of traditional Chinese culture. They basically tell myths and legends and all these historical stories through the use of Chinese classical dance. Absolutely. That's actually where me and Mike get a lot of our inspirations from. As you guys can tell, we make a lot of videos about like Chinese historical figures like Yue Feng, Mulan and myths and legends and literally you can see all of that on stage including my favorite, The Monkey King. Yup, The Monkey King. Also what I love is if you want to get an idea of what traditional Chinese dance is, what classical Chinese music is, this is the show to see. We're very passionate about it, we go see it every single year so we hope you can go check it out. And also, it's not just in New York, it's coming to New York I think next month. Exactly. But it's all around, it goes all around the world so wherever you are, check it out. We have the website information down here for you, also in the description box. Check it out, see where that show is coming, maybe it's coming to a city near you. Thank you so much for watching. See you later. Peace.