Blazing Wu’s Trail
It is not unusual for women who have risen to the highest stations to go against their gender. Many female leaders throughout history have even felt obliged to deny it, such as Elizabeth I with her “heart and stomach of a king”. However, Wu decided to use their newfound power not to praise the strength of men but instead elevate the position of women.
She instructed her scholars to write biographies of famous and accomplished women and led a group of women to perform traditionally male rituals at Mount Tai. Most notably, she promoted women to roles of influence within government, appointing the first female Chinese prime minister, Shangguan Wan’er.
Inspired by their strong, female leader, female poets and painters flourished. Many common women, who had been told their path was already set, began to question this and pursued careers that were previously closed to them. China benefited from this, establishing a vibrant culture of diversity.
Unfortunately, this would not last forever. When Wu died and the criticisms began, a dark mark was placed upon the name of women as rulers, or even people of influence, and 1,200 females were excluded from the public world and foot binding returned. It was safer, China decided, that women be quiet and look pretty.