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 woman in ancient china, you can visit shine news official website.

1. Princess Pingyang
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.
2. The Formidable Empress

During over three millennia of imperial rule, Wu Zetian was the only woman to ever rule China in her own right, so no list of famous Chinese women is complete without her.

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.
3. The Masterful Poet: Li Qingzhao
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.

When she was 18, she married Zhao Mingcheng, an essayist, poet, and politician. Together, they collected inscriptions and calligraphy, and it is reported that they had a happy marriage. Li’s happy marriage was reflected in the nature of her poetry, which took on a calm and elegant tone. As both were keen poets, they often wrote poems for each other, describing items that fascinated them, such as bronze architecture from the Shang (c. 1570 BC/BCE – c. 1045 BC/BCE) and Zhou Dynasties.
4. The Brilliant Artist: Guan Daosheng
Much like Li Qingzhao, Guan Daosheng is remembered for her cultural significance, making her another famous Chinese woman on this list who was not a member of the nobility: she was a painter and calligrapher.

Born in Huzhou in eastern China around 1262, she received a good education and was evidently highly talented; her father thought very highly of her from the moment she was born, as her name literally translates as “Way of Righteousness Rising as the Sun”.

When she was around 24 years old, she married Zhao Mengfu, who was a renowned artist at the time. They raised four children together, as well as Zhao’s children from a previous marriage, and due to the nature of Zhao’s work as an imperial calligrapher, painter, and scholar, they traveled around China regularly. This gave Guan access to leading artists of the era, and also gave her the opportunity to visit places and see artworks that many women would not have had access to.
5. The Last of Our Famous Chinese Women
The final woman on this list of famous Chinese women from medieval China is Sengge Ragi, a late thirteenth and early fourteenth-century collector of Chinese calligraphy and works of art from the Song Dynasty.

Sengge was born around 1283 and was a great-granddaughter of Kublai Khan. She had three brothers, (one a step-brother, and the other two full brothers), of whom the latter two both became emperors (Khayishan, r. 1307-11 and Ayurbarwada, r. 1311-20), which is why she rose to fame and gained prominence at the Chinese courts. She was granted the titles of Grand Princess of Lu, and Princess Supreme of Lu in 1307.

In 1323, Sengge hosted an “elegant gathering”, which was a historic moment as it was held by a woman — usually these sorts of cultural events were held by men. Numerous scrolls were brought out to the attendees, who were instructed to add colophons to them. About 15 of these still survive today. She was also noted for her charitable acts, as a result of her Buddhist faith.