ABSTRACT
In the glorious age of Tang, when Chinese people in all walks of life enjoyed the prosperity and progress of the times, and when cultural and spiritual inspiration were heightened in an atmosphere of affluence and success, the Empress Wu Tse-T'ien took a special interest in patronizing Buddhism. She was so intrigued by the fascinating teaching of this foreign religion that for some years (before becoming the empress) she had even lived the life of a nun in a convent. Later, Wu Tse-T'ien withdrew from the convent and joined the Emperor Kao Tsung in the palace as his imperial concubine. When Kao Tsung died, she usurped the throne and became the first-and also the lastempress in Chinese history. She then successfully governed the Empire for twenty years. She was hated and loved, denounced and admired, both by her contemporaries and by posterity, and she has been a controversial figure for many centuries. But no one could deny the fact that this extraordinary woman was one of the greatest statesmen ever to appear in Chinese history.
