中华女皇帝 武则天
小班故事
Empress Wu Zetian in Dang Dynasty
Empress Wu was the only female monarch of China, and remains the most remarkable, influential and mysterious woman in Chine history.
中国古迹 Contrary to the teachings of Confucius, this was a woman who ruled the empire for over half a century; while her actions have been a subject for debate for more ten centuries. Opinion is sharply divided between tho who admire her for her many achievements and t
ho who regard her as a ruthless, merciless schemer and autocrat. Others will say merely that she did what she had to do and that her actions were no different from tho of male emperors. 唐伯虎的诗桃花庵
Achievements
In spite of her ruthless ri to power, Wu proved to be a very competent monarch and throughout her reign the legacy of prosperity bequeathed by the late Taizong.
The Empress was eager to draw into her government all manner of talented people. In the first year of her period of absolute power, she nt officials far and wide to arch for people of outstanding ability. Wu Zetian even encouraged people to volunteer their rvices should they consider themlves of value to her. In this way no effort was spared to recruit able persons into the civil rvice. The imperial examination system was further revid in order that no man of ability should be excluded due to his lowly birth. She also initiated the practice of personally interviewing candidates. The formalities guaranteed appointments could no longer be obtained through patronage, bribery or corr
uption.
Surprisingly, she showed tolerance towards her critics. Ever willing to listen to new ideas and suggestions, she generously rewarded tho who offered sound advice and demonstrated enterpri. This ensured that throughout her long reign, she always had the support of a loyal administration.
达尔文著作
Wu Zetian attached great importance to the development of agriculture. She ordered the construction of irrigation schemes. So as to create a bank of knowledge about agricultural matters and develop experti, she commissioned the compilation of farming textbooks. Local officials were charged with the task of bringing more land under cultivation. As an incentive for incread production, taxes were reduced and the imposition upon the peasant population was ead. By allowing peasant farmers to retain more of their produce, they were able to improve their living standard and in general the population benefited from quite considerable prosperity.
The relationships that had been established between the empire and the neighboring T
ubo deteriorated. A ries of many border skirmishes led to a final defeat of the Tubo in 692. Afterwards, steps were taken to keep the vast lands to the north and south of the Tainshan Mountains cure from invasion. The Anxi Military Viceroy and the Beiting Military Viceroy were given responsibility for the area, with the conquence that Wu’s defence policy effectively consolidated the north-western border region.云锦山
Wu’s religious policy gave Buddhism precedence over Taoism as the favoured state religion. She encouraged gifted scholars to ttle in China and many Buddhist temples were built. Also, many of the finest Buddhist cave sculptures were created. Under the patronage of the Empress, Buddhism made its greatest advances within China.
Wu Zetian poured scorn on the Confucian belief that women should always be subordinate to men. As well as furthering her own ambitions, she sought to enhance the position of women in society. This included employing scholars to write biographies of famous women. The works rved as a reminder to everyone that women were every bit as capable of men. All they lacked was equal opportunity.
The Downside
烹饪美食>立可以组什么词
It is said there is good and bad in everybody. So far as Wu Zetian was concerned, when she was bad she could be very bad indeed. To achieve her ambitions she was as ruthless as possible. She did not hesitate to arrange the murders of members of her family, her husband’s concubines or ministers if they oppod her. Even Wu’s infant daughter was sacrificed in order that she might succeed in her desire for power. The men who loyalty to both Li Yuan and Li Shimin had helped establish the Tang Dynasty were subjected to her cruelty. The included Zhangsun Wuji, Chu Suiliang, Yu Zhining and Cheng Wuting and many others who were either put to death or reduced in rank. Members of the Li royal family and their relatives were likewi eliminated.
Once she was on the throne, Wu was ever cautious lest any of her ministers proved to be disloyal or plot against her. She appointed sadistic and cruel officials to ek out and eliminate any opposition to her regime. Men such as Suo Yuanli, Zhong Xing and Lai Juncheng became famous due to their methods of exposing so-called enemies of their mi
stress. In such times, it is possible to be rid of rivals by denouncing them as conspirators or laying trumped up charges against them. So, although tho who oppod Wu were verely dealt with, also many other innocent people were cruelly put to death. However, once Wu Zetian was satisfied that her regime was cure, she did relax some of her repressive measures and there were far fewer executions.
In her later life, and probably to ea her conscience, Wu Zetian resorted to Buddhism for solace. Her enthusiasm for building temples and monuments placed a huge strain on resources and labour. This show of religious fervour could not hide her continued craving for greatness and acclaim as she enjoyed an extravagant lifestyle. In particular, her penchant for her male concubines contributed to her reputation for decadence!
