nwasianweekly.com
Aug. 26, 2006

Empress, by Shan Sa. Published by Regan Books, 2006.

Shan Sa’s novel Empress chronicles the rise and fall of one of China’s most controversial figures, Empress Wu Zetian, the nation’s only woman emperor. The novel is a passionate depiction of Wu’s life, from her humble beginning to her rule over China’s greatest dynasty. The story begins in Wu’s native town, where she is noticed by a high-ranking general who recommends her to the emperor’s court. At the age of 12, she enters the Forbidden City to serve as one of the emperor’s 10,000 concubines. The most dazzling scene in the novel occurs when she enters the Forbidden City for the first time:

“The Side Court was a kingdom within the Empire, a painted box inside a golden trunk; it was a labyrinth of tiny rooms separated by walls of adobe clay, bamboo hedges, and narrow passageways. Official pavilions, little gardens, tunnels of wisteria, and countless bedrooms were linked by long covered galleries.”
Here in the Forbidden City, Wu learns to survive amid countless court plots and intrigues. As a Talented One of the fifth rank, Wu eventually catches the eye of the imperial heir, who promptly marries her when he ascends to the throne. She soon proves herself a wise counselor and administrator, and it isn’t long before her husband gives Wu absolute control over state affairs. She is so successful that when her husband dies, the court offers her the title of August Sovereign Divinity, a title previously reserved only for men.

Though most historians regard her as the scourge of the Tang Dynasty, Wu is portrayed by the author as a complex figure, capable of wielding power while still retaining a graceful femininity. She is not, as many historians claim, a conniving woman bent on usurping men’s power. Shan Sa makes clear that Wu ascends to the throne because no other heir is capable of doing so. And it is primarily through her efforts that the Tang Dynasty flourishes. She lowers taxes, declares Buddhism the official state religion, encourages international trade and institutes sweeping reforms that enable talented commoners to rise up in the bureaucracy. Wu is also responsible for making poetry the “infallible test of talent” in the civil service examination.

Her crowning achievement, however, is reflected in the bronze Urn of Truth installed at the gate of the Forbidden City, where people can voice their concerns to the emperor. Wu states that “shut away in his palace and surrounded by courtiers dressed in brocade, the Master of the Empire knows nothing of hunger, poverty, and the trials of life. If he is the motionless center of the hub, then let the world come to him!”

Impressive in scope and lyrically breathtaking, Empress is a poetic tour de force that portrays Wu Zetian’s life in all its phases and incarnations. For readers who can stomach Wu’s occasional imperial tone, the novel proves to be a memorable and enlightening experience.

Paul Kim can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.

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