Shangguan Wan'er

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Shangguan Wan'er (Simplified Chinese: 上官婉儿) (664 —710 A.D) was born in Shanzhou Shanxian County (Sanmenxia in Henan). She was the granddaughter of Shangguan Yi and was one of the most famous and talented women in Chinese history. She was a poet, writer and politician of the Tang Dynasty.

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[edit] Childhood

After her grandfather was executed for assisting Tang Gaozong in a failed attempt to depose Empress Wu, Wan Er's father Shangguan Tingyi was ordered to commit suicide. The infant Wan'er and her mother Lady Zheng were spared but became slaves in the Inner Imperial Palace. Wan'er learned to read and write from her mother. She read extensively and showed talent for writing prose and poetry at an early age. After Wu Zetian stumbled upon poems written by the 14-year-old Wan'er in the crown prince's study, she summoned her and asked her to compose an essay based on a given theme right on the spot. Wan'er performed marvellously, and the Empress was so impressed that she appointed Wan'er her personal secretary.

[edit] Political Career

On Wan'er appointment as the personal secretary to Wu Zetian, she was given the responsibility of drafting edicts governing the Inner Palace, and Wu Zetian would discuss state affairs with her before making any decisions. Eventually all memorials submitted to Wu Zetian were first read by Wan'er for her opinion before being approved by the Empress. In 698, at the age of 19, Wan'er advanced from the administration of the Inner Palace to the administration of the Imperial Court (a position with the power of Prime Minister) and thus became the most powerful person in the Imperial court, second only to Empress Wu Zetian herself. However She was not officially given the title of Prime Minister. She had the authority to grant or deny requests from the civil service to the imperial administration. As a key decision maker on the national level, Wan'er's political clout grew rapidly. Empress Wu once considered making Wan'er the next emperor, but was ultimately pressured into relinquishing her throne to her sons.

[edit] As a Concubine

After Wu Zetian was forced to give up her throne in her old age, her third son Li Xian (Emperor Zhongzong) became emperor. Wu Sansi, Wu Zetian's nephew, then try to gain Zhongzong's favour by recommending Shangguan Wan'er to him as a concubine. Wan'er rose quickly in the ranks of the harem, but remained in her post of palace secretary - an unprecedented career for a concubine. Wan'er was a positive influence on Emperor Zhongzong. She encouraged him to build schools and so foster literary talent. Wan'er's poetic sensibility gave her the ability to assess works and appoint a large number of poets to the court. The richness of Tang poetry thus owes a great deal to Wan'er.

In A.D. 710, after the murder of Emperor Zhongzong by Empress Wei and Princess Anle, Shanggua Wan'er and Princess Taiping forged a will by which Zhongzong bestowed the throne to his fourth son, Li Chongmao and make Empress Wei the Empress Dowager Regent allowing her and Li Dan to handle state affairs.

[edit] Palace Coup

In A.D. 710, Li Longji and Princess Taiping launched a palace coup. Shangguan Wan'er found out from the palace women that a coup was taking place, and calmly led them out with candles to greet a coup unit led by Liu Youqiu. In her hand she held the forged will of Emperor Zhongzong that she had written with her own hand. During the drafting of the forged will, she had written that Li Dan would be a co-regent with Empress Dowager Wei - this had been one of the conditions laid down by Princess Taiping at the time for supporting Empress Dowager Wei's position as Regent. But later, Empress Wei and her favourites had cancelled that line and excluded Li Dan from the government. Shangguan Wan'er showed Liu Youqiu the will, with the hope that the struck-out line (which was still legible) would prove that she herself had not been opposed to Li Dan. This just might be enough to persuade Li Longji to spare her life. Liu Youqiu was struck by her beauty and talent, and appealed to Li Longji to consider sparing her. But Li Longji knew she would never be anything but a danger to him, and ordered her executed on the spot. She was 46 years of age at the time.

[edit] Posthumous Recognition

After Li Longji ascended the throne to become Emperor Xuanzong, the emperor ordered her poems collected and published in 20 volumes to commemorate Wan'er and make amends for slaying her. Prime Minister Zhang Yue wrote a glowing preface. The famous anthology, "The Complete Poetry of the Tang Dynasty," also includes thirty-two of Wan'er's poems. Unfortunately a lot of her works were lost with the passage of time.[1]

[edit] References


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