Nv Wei Female Theory

Author: Song Qirui
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-11-01
Features: During the Eastern Jin Dynasty, due to the corruption and incompetence of the Sima imperial court, widespread warfare broke out in the northern regions, leading to the establishment of numerous states by ethnic minorities in the north, forming a situation of sixteen states vying for power. Among these sixteen ethnic states, one was the Dai State established by the Xianbei people, ruling over the areas east of the Yellow River and north and south of the Yinshan Mountains, roughly corresponding to today's Hohhot and Baotou in Inner Mongolia and Datong in Shanxi. Under the rule of its ruler, Shiyijian, the Dai State gradually grew in strength. Shiyijian's crown prince married He Shi, the daughter of the head of the He Lan tribe. The crown prince died young, and Shiyijian then took his daughter-in-law He Shi as his wife. He Shi gave birth to a son named Tuoba Jian. Due to various internal and external reasons, the Dai State was conquered by the more powerful Former Qin led by Fu Jian, and the entire royal family and officials of the Dai State were captured and taken to Chang'an, including He Shi and her several sons. Later, Shiyijian was killed by his son, and the Dai State was completely destroyed. He Shi, along with her young sons, lived in captivity in Chang'an. Enduring hardship and humiliation, He Shi painstakingly raised Tuoba Jian and his brothers. Later, Tuoba Jian, the eldest son of He Shi, returned to the land of the Dai State, gathered the old followers of the Dai State, and restored it. After more than ten years of warfare south and north, the Dai State grew stronger and gradually absorbed the northern regions, establishing the Wei State. Tuoba Jian proclaimed himself the King of Wei and became the emperor of the Wei State. This was Tuoba Jian, the founding emperor of the Northern Wei, honored with the temple name of Taizu and the posthumous title of Daowu. After his death, He Shi was posthumously honored as the Empress Xiaoming. He Shi nurtured Tuoba Jian and, in the face of adversity, shaped his indomitable character and exceptional strategic mind. It was she who, ten years after the fall of the Dai State, returned with Tuoba Jian to the land of the Dai State and restored it. Without her, there would be no Tuoba Jian, and certainly no Northern Wei state. Although her brief life left little historical record, her role in the founding of the Northern Wei was unparalleled. bestowing the title of "Mother of the State" on Empress Xiaoming He Shi was well-deserved. Understanding the life, personality, and achievements of Empress Xiaoming He Shi is very helpful for understanding the early history of the Northern Wei.
I. The Life of Empress Xiaoming
Empress Xiaoming was the consort of Tuoba Shi, the crown prince of Emperor Zhaocheng. Before ascending the throne in the thirty-fourth year of the establishment of the Dai State (371 AD), the crown prince Tuoba Shi died, and he was later posthumously honored as Emperor Xiaoming. The life of Empress Xiaoming He Shi is only recorded in the "Biography of Empress Xiaoming" in the "Book of Wei" by Wei Shou. The "Biography of Empress Xiaoming" states: "Empress Xiaoming He Shi, fathered by Yegan, the eastern chief. At a young age, she was selected for the eastern palace due to her beauty and gave birth to the founding emperor."① Historical records provide only this brief mention of Empress Xiaoming He Shi's background. Empress Xiaoming He Shi came from the family of Yegan, the eastern chief and leader of the He Lan tribe, in the Dai State. The biography does not record her birth date. The second volume of the "Book of Wei," "The Second Chronicle of the Founding Emperor," records her death year: "In the first year of the Huangshi era, in the sixth month of summer, on the day of Dinghai, Empress He passed away. That same month, she was buried as Empress Xiaoming." The "Biography of Empresses" in the "Book of Wei" records: "She passed away in the first year of the Huangshi era, at the age of forty-six, and was buried in the Jinling of Shengle." The first year of the Huangshi era corresponds to 396 AD. Based on these records, we can roughly estimate Empress Xiaoming He Shi's birth year. She was likely born in 350 AD, the fourteenth year of the establishment of the Dai State, and died in the first year of the Huangshi era, 396 AD. Empress Xiaoming He Shi was forty-six years old.