Tang dynasty · 655-705

Wu Zetian: the only woman to rule China as emperor

Wu Zetian rose from palace concubine to empress, and in 690 became the only woman in Chinese history to rule as emperor in her own name. Students weigh her record and ask why later historians judged her so harshly.

Teach it live New Open on the map
Length
50 minutes
Ages
12–15
On the map
3 steps, AD 690
Live lesson
7 rounds, 3 on the map
Worksheet
Two A4 pages, with Classroom
You need
A projector; phones for live

Live lesson · new in Classroom

Teach it live. The class answers on their phones.

Put the board on the projector. Students join with a six-digit code, no account needed, and tap the map: where was the frontier, where did the grain come from. Their pins drop in together when you reveal, and the closest student takes the round.

€19 per month: every lesson live, every worksheet, cancel anytime. Rome at its height runs live for free.

A live lesson on the projector: the class's pins on the map around Alexandria, the closest students listed beside it A student's phone: the question and a map to tap
7 rounds
3 places to find on the map, quiz questions, a class vote and a one-line answer.
About 15 minutes
Run it as the map step, or to open the discussion. You move on with the space bar.
A report
Every answer, per student and per round, to read back or print after the lesson.
1

Introduction

5 min

Read aloud

Wu Zetian rose from palace concubine to empress, and in 690 became the only woman in Chinese history to rule as emperor in her own name. Students weigh her record and ask why later historians judged her so harshly.

By the end of the lesson, students can

  • Describe how Wu Zetian rose to power between 655 and 690.
  • Name two policies of her reign, such as wider state exams or support for Buddhism.
  • Explain why historians disagree about how to judge her.
2

Explore the map

15 min

Project the map, or let students follow on their own devices. Each step opens the map at the right year and place.

a

AD 690

Two capitals

Open the map in 690 and turn on the Cities layer. Find Chang'an, then pan about 320 km east to Luoyang, the city Wu Zetian made her "divine capital". Why might a new ruler want a new capital?

Open this view on the map
b

AD 690

The Longmen caves

Zoom in just south of Luoyang, where Buddhist statues are carved into the cliffs of the Yi River at Longmen. Turn on Spreads > Buddhism. When did Buddhism first reach Luoyang?

Open this view on the map
c

AD 690

Rival on the plateau

Pan southwest to the Tibetan plateau. In Wu's reign the Tang and the Tibetan Empire fought over the Silk Road oases. How do mountains and deserts shape the border between them?

Open this view on the map
3

Class discussion

15 min

Pick two or three. They run from what happened to why it mattered.

  1. Wu Zetian began as a low-ranking concubine. What does her rise tell us about power at the Tang court?
  2. In 690 she took the title of emperor and founded her own Zhou dynasty. Why was the title so important?
  3. She widened the state exams for officials. Who gained from that, and who lost?
  4. She used informers and harsh punishments against rivals. Was that unusual for rulers of her time?
  5. Most histories of Wu were written by men who disapproved of a woman ruling. How should we read such sources?
4

Game round

10 min

Play Rule History as Wu Zetian. Let students take turns making her rulings on the classroom screen. After each one, ask: would the Tang court have accepted this from a woman ruler, and how would her critics have described it?

Open Rule History
5

Worksheet

5 min

This worksheet comes with Classroom

€19 per month unlocks every worksheet, every live lesson and the class workspace. The free lesson prints without a subscription.