‘Her Influence Great, Her Merit beyond Measure’: A translation and initial investigation of the epitaph of Shangguan Wan’er
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
5-22-2015
Abstract
The discovery of a 982-character epitaph for Shangguan Wan’er 上官婉儿 (664–710)–drafter of imperial edicts, tattooed criminal, prodigious poet, master of political intrigue, literary talent nonpareil, and concubine to two rulers–during the excavation of her tomb in September 2013, has prompted scholars to re-assess the nature of her personal and political character. In the Confucian historiographic narrative, Shangguan Wan’er is often lumped together with Empress Wei, the Taiping Princess, and the Anle Princess as part of a notorious quartet of women at the nexus of a seven-year period of misrule, intrigue and havoc. Not only does epitaph contain new evidence that complicates this facile narrative, it offers further insight into her family background and into the murky politics of the early eighth century court of the restored Tang dynasty.
Publication Title
Studies in Chinese Religions
Volume
1
Issue
2
First Page
131
Last Page
148
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
10.1080/23729988.2015.1048971
ISSN
23729988
E-ISSN
23729996
Citation Information
Rothschild. (2015). “Her Influence Great, Her Merit beyond Measure”: A translation and initial investigation of the epitaph of Shangguan Wan’er. Studies in Chinese Religions, 1(2), 131–148. https://doi.org/10.1080/23729988.2015.1048971