Today is Wu Zetian's birthday, and I can't help but want to write about this extraordinary woman. However, in history, the evaluation of her by the government and the opposition has always been mixed, which shows that this is not an easy topic. After thinking about it for a while, I decided to talk about it from a traveler's point of view!
1. The true face of the empress: Luoyang Longmen Grottoes Lushena Buddha.
Yu Qiuyu once described the Longmen Grottoes as follows: "The Tang Dynasty was a great era, and the Longmen Grottoes were the Tang Dynasty carved in stone. ”
The largest Buddha in the Luoyang Longmen Grottoes, one of the four major grottoes in China and the world cultural heritage, is the Lushena Buddha of Fengxian Temple, which is also the most beautiful statue of the grottoes in China.
The Lushena Buddha was excavated by Wu Zetian when he was the empress and donated 20,000 guan fat powder money (equivalent to 6 million yuan), which is said to have been carved according to her face and completed in 675 AD. "Lushena" is a Sanskrit word that means light shines. Wu Zetian's self-named "Cao", the sun and the moon are in the sky, and the light is shining, which is exactly in line with its meaning. The Big Buddha is 17 years high14 meters, head height 4 meters, ear length 19 meters, graceful and luxurious, with a round face, a high nose bridge, calm and peaceful, and a solemn appearance, showing the queen's style. With full lips, upturned corners of the mouth, and a slight smile, the smile of the Buddha shows the tolerance and self-confidence of Datang, and is known as the most beautiful smile in the East.
This should be the most famous tourist attraction about Wu Zetian. During the Spring Festival this year, the Longmen Scenic Area is crowded every day, and people's enthusiasm is directly related to seeing the demeanor of this big Buddha.
2. The Empress's Mausoleum: Qianling, Qianxian County, Shaanxi.
Wu Zetian attaches great importance to health preservation, not only beautiful appearance, but also energetic, so although she was 67 years old when she ascended the throne, she was the oldest emperor to ascend the throne in Chinese history, she still lived 82 years old, and she was also one of the longest-lived emperors.
But everyone dies one day. In the first year of Shenlong, that is, in 705 AD, Wu Zetian was seriously ill, and Prime Minister Zhang Khan Zhi and others launched the "Shenlong Revolution" to support the restoration of Tang Zhongzong and force him to abdicate. After Zhongzong restored the Tang Dynasty, he was given the title of "Zetian Great Sage Emperor". On December 16 of the same year, Wu Zetian died in Shangyang Palace at the age of 82. Zhongzong obeyed his last order, changed his name to "Zetian Great Sage Empress", went to the emperor's name, and was buried in Qianling as the queen.
The Qianling Tomb in Qianxian County, Shaanxi Province is the joint burial tomb of Li Zhi and Wu Zetian of Tang Gaozong, which is also the only joint burial mausoleum of two emperors in China, and is a national key cultural relics protection unit. Qianling is located on Liangshan Mountain, 6 kilometers north of Qianxian County, Xianyang City, and is selected by Yuan Tiangang and Li Chunfeng, two masters and apprentices of Yi Xue. The Qianling Tomb is huge in scale and took 23 years to complete. Qianling feng shui is excellent, looking down from the air, like a phoenix with wings ready to fly, and like a quiet beauty.
Qianling should be the second most famous scenic spot about Wu Zetian.
The original building of Qianling is magnificent and magnificent, and now the remains of the ground mainly include:
The stone carvings of Sima Shinto: 1 pair of Huabiao, winged horses, and ostriches, 5 pairs of horses and horse leaders, and 10 pairs of Shi Weng Zhong.
Two huge monuments: the famous wordless monument and the monument of the sacred era. The wordless tablet shows Wu Zetian himself: high merit and great virtue; The sage monument tells about Li Zhi's martial arts.
Sixty-one statues of ministers: for the missions of various countries. Most of them are headless, and the cause is still unknown.
Stone Squatting Lion: It is the largest of the imperial tombs.
3. Wu Cao Jin Jian: The treasure of the town hall of Henan Museum.
Wu Zetian is in Songshan held the Zen ceremony, after praying for blessing is also to go to Songshan, according to legend cast three gold slips, one of the "Wu Cao to remove the sin of the golden slip" in May 1982 by the villager Qu Xihuai of Wanghe Village in the north side of the Songshan Junji Peak found in the stone crevice, now collected in the Henan Museum.
Wu Cao's gold slip is the only gold slip found in China, which has a history of more than 1,300 years, and is also the only one related to Wu Zetian, a movable national treasure-level cultural relic, and one of the treasures of the nine major town halls of the Henan Museum.
In the first year of Jiushi (April 700 AD), the 77-year-old Wu Zetian went to Dengfeng City Sanyang Palace to travel fortunately when he was seriously ill, and after he recovered from his illness, it coincided with the Qiqiao Festival on July 7, and she immediately sent Taoist priest Hu Chao to the Songshan Mountain Gate to deliver this golden slip to the gods in order to eliminate the sin and eliminate the disaster.
In Taoism, the 7th day of the seventh month is one of the three congregations, and it is the best time for the lower realm to communicate with the heavens. Wu Zetian's choice to surrender on this day also reflects the changes in his beliefs in his later years, from early Buddhism to Taoism, hoping to exempt himself from his sins by throwing himself into Jane.
The gold Jane is 36 years long2 cm, 8 cm wide, less than 0 cm thick1 cm and weighs 2235 grams, made with 96% purity**.
The front is engraved with a double hook inscription in 3 lines and 63 words: "The above words: Wu Cao, the lord of the Great Zhou Dynasty, is happy and true, immortal, and respectfully admires the high mountain gate of Zhongyue Song, and invests in the gold Jane, begs for three officials and nine mansions, and removes Wu Cao's crimes." Tai Sui Gengzi July Gengzi 7th Jiayin, the little envoy Hu Chao Ji Shou bowed again. ”
4. The empress's hometown: Wenshui, Shanxi and Guangyuan, Sichuan.
Wu Zetian, ancestral home of Wenshui (now Wenshui County, Shanxi); She was born in Chang'an on February 17, 624 AD, the founding hero of the Tang Dynasty and the second daughter of the warrior of the Ministry of Industry; Grew up in Guangyuan, Sichuan. Therefore, in today's competition for celebrity tourism resources, the three places all say that they are Wu Zetian's hometown, and there is a certain amount of truth.
The national key cultural relics protection unit in Nanxu Village, Wenshui County, Luliang City, Shanxi Province, is the Temple of Our Lady of Heaven, which is small in scale but rigorous in layout. The entrance of the scenic spot is the white marble statue of the empress, and there is a more objective evaluation inscription of Song Qingling below: "Outstanding female politician in the feudal era". Go inside, it is the Temple of Heaven. The main hall was originally built in the Tang Dynasty, and the existing structure was rebuilt in 1145 in the fifth year of the reign of the Jin Emperor, but a pair of Tang Dynasty gold pillars and some Tang Dynasty bricks and tiles are still preserved in the hall and the top. The beams, bucket arches, doors and windows, and door piers in the main hall all belong to the original system of the Jin Dynasty.
There is a couplet at the gate of the main hall: "The six palaces have no color, and all the nations are dressed and crowned." "Shanglian is from Bai Juyi's "Song of Long Hatred", which describes the beauty of Wu Zetian's appearance; The following link is from Wang Wei's "He Jia Zhisheren's Early Daming Palace", which writes about her national prestige. It is obviously more appropriate to evaluate her with the classic sentences of two Shanxi villagers!
To Guangyuan, you must go to Huangze Temple, you must see the cliff statue.
In 1961, Huangze Temple, which was announced as the first batch of national key cultural relics protection units, is an ancestral temple dedicated to Wu Zetian, located on the bank of the Jialing River in the west of the city, with a magnificent momentum and a magnificent temple. Unlike ordinary temples, there is no "Daxiong Treasure Hall" in this temple built by the Empress Imperial Palace, and the main hall of the temple is the "Wuhou Zhenrong Hall", that is, "Zetian Shenghou Hall".
On the inner wall of the main hall, there is a dignified and beautiful portrait of Wu Zetian.
In the middle of the hall, there is a so-called "true face of the martial queen" stone carving. It is recorded in the Song people's "Chronicles of Nine Cities" that Wu Zetian was called the emperor and "gave the temple to carve his true face". Like a high 18 meters, carved from a single piece of sandstone, more than 1,300 years ago. It is said that this is the image of Wu Zetian in his old age.
The temple also preserves 6 caves, 41 niches, 1203 cliff statues and inscriptions of the past dynasties from the Northern Wei Dynasty to the Ming and Qing dynasties.
Every year, the people of Guangyuan will hold a grand temple fair, and they will go to the Wulong Pond in front of Huangze Temple to row and race and swim in the river bay to commemorate the birthday of Empress Wu.
Thousand Buddha Cliff is the largest grotto group in Sichuan, there are more than 7,000 statues from the Northern Wei Dynasty to the Ming and Qing dynasties, especially in the Sui and Tang dynasties, known as the "exhibition hall of stone carving art in the past dynasties".
Phoenix Mountain Park is a landmark in Guangyuan, and there is a Phoenix Tower on the top of the mountain.
There is Jianmen Pass near Guangyuan, as well as the bird road that reflects the difficulty of Shu Road.
5. Relationship with the Buddha: The empress has intersected with the Buddha all her life.
Wu Zetian worships Buddhism and has been associated with Buddha all his life.
Legend has it that his mother, Yang's boating in the river pool, met the oolong and soared, and "felt pregnant with the golden wheel", and flew to Chang'an in the wind.
Wu Zetian has been smart and witty since he was a child, and he has had a strong interest in Buddhism since he was a child, and has visited the temple many times.
In 638, 14-year-old Wu Zetian entered the harem and was a talented person of Tang Taizong and was given the name "Wu Mei". She won Li Shimin's appreciation with her ingenuity and outstanding political wisdom. "Zizhi Tongjian" contains: In May of the twenty-third year of Zhenguan, Tang Taizong Li Shimin died, and according to the old practice, the martial arts who had no heirs were edicted to become nuns in Ganye Temple. Wu Zetian spent two years in Ganye Temple with morning bells and evening drums, green lanterns and ancient Buddhas, and a bhikshuni life far away from the world and facing the wall to cultivate Buddha. When Taizong was seriously ill, Wu Zetian and Li Zhi had feelings for each other. After Gaozong Li Zhi ascended the throne, Wu Zetian was recalled to the palace.
Although the current Ganye Temple is newly repaired, this temple is only one mile away from the ruins of the Tang Ganye Temple, and it is also a place to hang nostalgia and feel the loneliness of the empress and the special life of the uncertain future.
In ancient times, when a woman became an emperor, Confucianism regarded her as a great rebellion. In order to proclaim himself emperor, Wu Zetian took a detour and chose Buddhism to endorse his succession. Because Buddhism won the hearts of the people at that time, and there are often passages in Buddhist scriptures where "a woman is a king", such as in the "Great Cloud Sutra": The Pure Light Heavenly Maiden was born as a woman because of the Buddha Shakya, and went down to the mortal world to become the king who ruled the territory of the Wheel Kingdom, bringing happiness to mankind. It is also written in the scriptures: Women are both upright and subduing the world. In order to show the legitimacy of his accession to the throne, Wu Zetian found a theoretical foundation with the help of Buddhism. So she built the Dayun Temple, preached the Dayun Sutra, and distributed hand-copied scriptures. He even created his own word, 曌. When the sun and moon are in the sky, the light shines on the world. And with his own name, he created a legend that he was the chosen daughter for himself as the emperor.
She claimed to be the reincarnation of Maitreya Buddha and unified the people of the world instead of the Li Tang Dynasty. Therefore, the Buddha hall was built next to the main hall of the court, and the Buddhist thought was used to rule, and the Buddha Hall was enshrined in the Maitreya Buddha. There is a symbol on the chest of the Buddha statue, and Wu Zetian named it a swastika after ascending the throne, representing the meaning of the immeasurable Buddhism and the harmony of all virtues.
After she became emperor, Wu Zetian regarded Buddhism as his faith. Not only did she build a large number of temples in the capital, but she also sent a large number of monks to preach in various places. At the same time, the stipulation that ** and the common people should also believe in Buddhism provided important ideological support for her rule.
Therefore, the true face of the Empress Zetian in the Huangze Temple in her later years is also dressed in Buddhist clothes and made a meditation state.
6. The empress's favorite: Luoyang and Mingtang, the capital of God.
Luoyang, the capital of the gods, Wu Zetian was the emperor here for 15 years.
Mingtang and Heaven were once important places for Wu Zetian's governance, worship of Buddha, and life.
Mingtang Paradise Scenic Area, rebuilt in the core area of Ziwei City Ruins, is the most important landscape of the new project of Luoyang City in the Sui and Tang Dynasties. The modern restored Ming Hall and Heaven are much smaller than the original, but they are very magnificent.
Mingtang, is the main hall of the imperial palace ruled by Wu Zetian, was once the largest wooden building in the history of the world, known as the "Vientiane Shrine", a radius of 100 meters, the height is also 100 meters, extremely gorgeous and magnificent, is considered to be the ultimate embodiment of the style of the Tang Dynasty. There are three floors, and the square on the ground floor symbolizes the four seasons. The middle layer of the twelve-sided shape, symbolizing the twelve hours, the upper is a round cover, and the nine dragons hold it. The upper layer has 24 sides, symbolizing the 24 solar terms. There are ten giant trees around. There will be a wonderful dance performance.
Heaven is the tallest building in ancient Chinese history, and it was the Buddha Hall used by Wu Zetian in the post-Wu period. What is more characteristic is that the Buddha Hall does not appear in the form of a building complex, but stands out and is tall and extraordinary. Its intention is to show the ruler's kingly spirit of being self-respecting, commanding the world, condescending, and not daring to disobey. The Heaven building has five floors on the outside and nine floors inside, symbolizing the supremacy of the Son of Heaven's ninety-five honors, and is also related to the ninety-nine to one in Buddhism. Today, there are different Buddhist art exhibits on each of the nine floors, and the interior decoration is beautiful.
In front of the Ming Hall is Yingtianmen.
7. Feast for the ages: Shi Chung will drink.
Legend has it that in the early summer of 700 AD, Wu Zetian ordered to visit the mountains and rivers in Guilin. But Luoyang, the capital of the gods, is thousands of miles away from Guilin, and how can the 76-year-old empress withstand the fatigue of the journey, which makes Di Renjie anxious. After investigation and visit, it was found that there was a landscape similar to Guilin near Zhongyue, so Di Renjie led Wu Zetian to the stone stream under the east jade girl platform in Dengfeng County.
The mountain rocks in this place are soluble rocks, and the long-term erosion of rivers has formed a scenery similar to Guilin. Usually, the flowing water in the stream hits the strange stones, making a gurgling sound, so it is called the stone stream. There is a huge stone in the pool, protrude the water surface, about 5 meters high, there is more than zhang wide, the top of the stone is flat as a case, can sit around more than ten people, surrounded by water, stand on the stone, reflect the water rippling with the waves, have no fun, so it is called the music platform. Wu Zetian saw such a beautiful scenery, and was in a good mood, so he improvised a poem: "Three mountains and ten caves are Guangxuan, and Yuqiao Jinluan Town is Ziwei." The dew and frost are all the winning soil, and the wind and rain are in Huangji. Ten thousand high rocks and sunshine, thousands of miles of secluded streams bathing in cloud clothes. And stop at the feast to reward benevolence and wisdom, and the carved saddle is thin and the dust flies in the evening. He also ordered the accompanying prince Li Xian, Xiangwang Li Dan, Liang Wang Wu Sansi, Di Renjie and other 16 entourages each endowed with a poem of "Waiting Tour", which was engraved on the cliff wall of the stone by the calligrapher Xue Yao Shudan, which is the "Summer Tour Stone Song and Preface", which still exists.
This cultural feast of Shi Song's drinking can't help but remind me of Wang Xizhi's Lanting event, both of which are the same existence as swan songs. For more than 1,000 years, Dengfeng Shizhu will drink, feast the ministers, chant poems and sing and the grand scene, picture-like engraved on the "cliff inscription", telling an unforgettable history.
It was also in July after this grand event, because Wu Zetian was ill, he ordered Hu Chao to go to Songshan to vote for the guilt-removing Jin Jian.
8. The Empress and the Characters: The Characters She Made and the Characters She Wrote.
Everyone knows that Wu Zetian has created a lot of rare characters, but few people know that she is also very good at writing.
In order to reform the culture, Wu Zetian created the Zetian script. For example, the word "曌" she created for her name is to show that she and Li Zhi Ersheng shine on the earth like the sun and the moon in the sky. It is reported that some of the characters have also spread to Japan and become the names of some Japanese people; And South Korea has also found the seal of the new character of Zetian.
Calligraphy: Wu Zetian is proficient in flying white script, line script and cursive script.
Wu Zetian's surviving calligraphy works are more famous than the Ascending Immortal Prince Tablet.
The Monument of the Prince of Shengxian is located at the top of the mountain in Fudian Town, Yanshi City, about 35 kilometers southeast of Luoyang City. The inscription was created in 699, which literally tells the story of the promotion of the crown prince of Zhou Ling to immortals, but in fact it is a praise of the prosperous era of Wu Zhou, and euphemistically reveals the "ambition" of the septuagenarian "ascending to immortals", and the envy of immortality for immortals. Wu Zetian's personal book includes 2,129 words including the tablet. The font is strong and powerful, tactful like a phoenix, and has been regarded as an art treasure by calligraphy lovers throughout the ages.
Emperor Wu also personally copied a copy of the Diamond Sutra and a copy of the Myoho-renge-kyo Sutra, which are said to be hidden under the Big Wild Goose Pagoda.
9. Romantic Empress: Flower Dynasty Festival, Flower Poems and Pomegranate Skirts.
Most people think that this woman is ruthless and ruthless, but in fact, Wu Zetian also has a very romantic side.
Wu Zetian loves flowers very much, and after she took power, February 15 of each year was designated as the Flower Dynasty Festival. Every year on this day, she will ask the palace maids to go out to collect flowers and make them into flower cakes to reward the ministers. Since then, many dynasties have also preserved this beautiful festival.
Romantic and domineering is still the story of the flower! One day, she had a whim, she wanted to see the wonder of flowers blooming in the cold and frozen Laba Festival, so she wrote a poem "La Ri Xuan Zhao Xing Shangyuan" poem "Ming Dynasty tour Shangyuan, quickly report spring." The flowers are sent overnight, don't wait for the wind to blow. "I ordered the flowers to bloom quickly overnight. As a result, the next day, the flowers felt their heavenly might, and they were really in full bloom, but only the peony did not bloom, and the empress was furious, so she ordered someone to roast the peony branches with charcoal, and the peony could not stand the high temperature and roasted, so they could only bloom one after another, and Wu Zetian was still angry, so he degraded the peony to Luoyang.
The pomegranate skirt got its name from the fact that it is bleached with pomegranate juice. In the Tang Dynasty, the pomegranate skirt was people's favorite style, and Wu Zetian loved the pomegranate skirt very much, so he also specially endowed a poem of "Ruyi Niang": "Look at Zhu Chengbi's thoughts, haggard and fragmented for Yijun." I didn't believe that I would cry more than I came, and I opened the box and inspected the pomegranate skirt. ”
When the underground palace of Fufeng Famen Temple was excavated, many treasures were unearthed. At that time, after opening the second stone door, not only did they find piles of silk fabrics stacked on the ground, but also found a box full of silk clothes used by the Tang Dynasty royal family. One of the most surprising is that according to the list of "Tent Tablet", there is a "waist of the embroidered skirt of the Empress Wu", and there is a pomegranate skirt worn by Wu Zetian himself, which is a golden embroidered pomegranate skirt waist skirt woven with gold silk thinner than a hair.
10. The empress is afraid of cats: ruthless people also have timid times.
It is rumored that Wu Zetian is afraid of cats. Interesting, isn't it? But as soon as you understand why, you can't laugh.
According to historical records, Wu Zetian had a struggle for favor with the original Queen Wang and Concubine Xiao Shu. After Wu Zetian won the victory, she was named the queen by Tang Gaozong, and she used her power: "Send people to the Wang family and the Xiao family with 100 each, cut off their hands and feet, throw them into the wine urn, and say: 'Let the second wife get drunk!'" He died in a few days, and then he was beheaded. Before she died, Concubine Xiao Shufei gritted her teeth and scolded Wu Zetian: "Ah Wu goblin, it's still here!" May I be born as a cat and Ah Wu as a rat in the next life, and I will be choked by the throat of life. When Wu Zetian heard this, he was very uneasy in his heart, and he was afraid that the souls of Queen Wang and Concubine Xiao Shufei would really turn into cats in the next life to bite his throat, so he hated cats very much, and issued a ban on not keeping cats in the palace.
Ten. 1. The merits and demerits of the empress: I can't tell clearly.
Wu Zetian, an outstanding statesman from the Tang Dynasty to the Wu Zhou Dynasty and the founding monarch of the Wu Zhou Dynasty (reigned 690-705), was the only orthodox female emperor in Chinese history, who participated in and held state power for 50 years, reaching the pinnacle of what women could reach in a patriarchal society. She was the oldest to the throne (67 years old) and one of the longest-lived emperors (82 years old).
After Tang Gaozong ascended the throne, he was awarded the title of Zhaoyi. In the sixth year of Yonghui (655), she became the empress after the incident of "abolishing Wang Liwu". In the first year of the Shangyuan Dynasty (674), he was called "Queen of Heaven", and was called "Two Sages" together with Gaozong, and participated in the government. After the death of Gaozong, as the empress dowager of Tang Zhongzong and Tang Ruizong, he was in charge of the dynasty.
On December 7, 690, the first year of Tianzhu, Wu Zetian promulgated the "Great Zhou Holy Spirit Emperor Appointed Treasure", officially called the emperor, changed the country name to Zhou, set the capital Luoyang, called the "divine capital", and established Wu Zhou.
After ascending to the throne, Wu Zetian fully displayed his eloquence and strategy, showing outstanding ruling ability and political wisdom. She implemented a series of reform measures, strengthened the centralization of power, weakened feudal forces, rewarded farmers, reformed the administration of officials, vigorously developed agriculture and the economy, and greatly increased productivity. She is discerning and judgmental, following advice, knowing people well, attaching importance to the selection of talents, and creating a system of palace examinations, martial arts examinations and examination officials. Militarily, the four towns of Anxi were recovered and stabilized, and the Later Turks surrendered for a time. The massive increase in population, the continuous expansion of territory, and social stability eventually brought about economic development and cultural prosperity. Guotai Min'an, Haiyan Heqing, the era she created, the rule of Zhenguan, and the prosperity of Kaiyuan, are considered to be an important part of the prosperous Tang Dynasty.
** once objectively commented on Wu Zetian's positive side: "You think Wu Zetian is not simple, I also think she is not simple, she is simply amazing." In feudal society, women have no status, and women become emperors, and people don't even dare to think about it. I've read some wild histories, and I've written about her as very absurd, I'm afraid it's worth discussing. Wu Zetian is indeed a talent for governing the country, she has both the amount of tolerance, the wisdom of knowing people, and the skill of employing people. ”
Wu Zetian is wise and ignorant of others, and is involved in literature and history, and is quite poetic. There are 100 volumes of "Vertical Arch Collection" and 10 volumes of "Golden Wheel Collection", which have been dispersed. "All Tang Poems" includes 46 of his poems.
However, during Wu Zetian's reign, in order to clear the obstacles to ascending the throne and becoming emperor, he wantonly killed the Tang Dynasty clan, played with power, reused cool officials, rewarded whistleblowers, and raised "cool official politics"; She gave free rein to the election of officials, which caused the bureaucracy to increase dramatically, and the bureaucracy swelled, increasing the burden on the people; She advocated Buddhism, built temples, built Ming Hall, built Tianshu, and cast Jiuding, wasting a lot of manpower and material resources; She is a good male pet, and a male pet is a powerful blessing; She reused the Wu clan and so on, so she was denounced as "the ghosts and gods are not tolerated, and the subjects are resentful". In his later years, he was even more happy, lived a luxurious life, was extravagant and arbitrary, and gradually developed maladministration.
Wu Meiniang, Wu Cairen, Wu Zhaoyi, Wu Hou, Wu Cao, Wu Zetian, etc., just as she has multiple titles, she also has multiple personalities and multi-faceted lives. The reputation is mixed, and it is difficult to explain in a word, or just like the wordless monument that has been erected in front of the Qianling Tomb for thousands of years, it is the best way to face the world: the predecessors have made merits and demerits, and the descendants have commented; Without a word, it's all romantic! Masters!
February** Dynamic Incentive Program