All fell before her moth brows. — poet Luo Binwang (image via Wikimedia Commons) Wu Zetian is the only woman in Chinese history to rule in her own name. And she didn't rule as "Empress"; she claimed the title "Emperor." Wu rose to prominence via the power of her "moth brows" and skills of flirtation. She was a concubine to one emperor, and then charmed his son into keeping her around after his father's death, and *then* before even a decade had passed, she was the one sitting atop a throne in court, issuing decrees and orders while her lover was "sick." After the royal descendant died, Wu, a former courtesan, assumed total control of China. And despite notorious love affair after notorious love affair, she never again married — lest she risk ceding power to another man.
A Woman to Know: Wu Zetian
A Woman to Know: Wu Zetian
A Woman to Know: Wu Zetian
All fell before her moth brows. — poet Luo Binwang (image via Wikimedia Commons) Wu Zetian is the only woman in Chinese history to rule in her own name. And she didn't rule as "Empress"; she claimed the title "Emperor." Wu rose to prominence via the power of her "moth brows" and skills of flirtation. She was a concubine to one emperor, and then charmed his son into keeping her around after his father's death, and *then* before even a decade had passed, she was the one sitting atop a throne in court, issuing decrees and orders while her lover was "sick." After the royal descendant died, Wu, a former courtesan, assumed total control of China. And despite notorious love affair after notorious love affair, she never again married — lest she risk ceding power to another man.