Tales of the Five Empresses

Author: Zhang Dake
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-01-01
Features: Empresses Li of the Western Han Dynasty, Hu of the Northern Wei Dynasty, Wu of the Tang Dynasty, Xiao of the Liao Dynasty, and Cixi of the Qing Dynasty are five famous empresses in Chinese history. They ruled as regents, essentially acting as five emperors. In a patriarchal feudal society, they were rebellious women. Driven by power and desire, they became pioneers challenging feudal etiquette and the "Three Cardinal Principles and Five Constant Virtues." For this, they paid a heavy price, demonstrating the iron will and character of strong women. This book selects these five typical women, narrating the origins and endings of their political careers, aiming to explore certain patterns of the feudal autocratic regime from a perspective. It is an academic yet accessible read. The writing is fluent and vivid, offering both artistic and intellectual satisfaction, as well as profound insights. Here, we recount past events, and to make reading more enjoyable, we call them "Anecdotes of the Five Empresses."