A Comparative Study of Empress Wu and Queen Victoria

With every petal losing their glamour of life,

With every second drawing away the energy of youth,

With every sunset swallowing all the brightness of a past day,

The path to history unwinds to us.

Unveiling the 5000-year civilization of the mysterious Chinese history, Empress Wu Zetian, the only female dictator, holds her special panache in Chinese culture.

In the far west, there was a worldwide empire on which the sun never set under the reign of Queen Victoria, who had won the heart of British people.

As history witnesses, different political systems, different social position for women, different cultural and educational background make the two women appear totally different except for the prosperity of economic boost in their times.

Different political backgrounds:

Empress Wu enjoyed a pure dictatorship of China under an absolute monarchy for nearly half a century, while Queen Victoria, who might also be considered a dictator, only held some retrained power, which, however, is gradually reduced and taken over by the parliament in her leadership of Britain under a constitutional monarchy. This, in my view of point, indicates that the connection between Queen Victoria and the industrial expansion of the Great Britain is less close than that between Empress Wu and the rise of the Tang dynasty.

Different policies adopted in their times:

In Queen Victoria’s times, she was influenced by her husband to a large extent to put the nation’s focus on arts, science, trade and industry while Empress Wu laid emphasis on human resource, the appliance of elites in government department, the development of a favorable agriculture output rewarding system and economic growth.

Both achieved great success, universally known as “a worldwide empire on which the sun never set” and “the Great Rise of Kai Yuan Period”.

I have to confess to the fact Queen Victoria enjoyed a less dominant position in Britain than Empress Wu did in Tang. Both of them were outstanding among all women through whatever time or space. They were not only the perfect examples to demonstrate identical capability within the 2 genders, but also they were considered the early movement of feminism in the contemporary world.

On their ways to the throne:

It is commonly acknowledged that it’s the women’s responsibility and liability to be caring and loving to their families. However, Empress Wu plotted brutal conspiracy to kill her first child and made the queen-in-power take the fall. We have to admit it’s a kill-or-die choice in ancient royal family to gain the power and Empress Wu made her choice of being cruel to live a bloody life than to die a lachrymatory beauty’s death. But when her ambitious dream was realized, the previous sin would never stop torturing her heart. What, on earth would be still rewarding left to our Empress Wu?

Compared with Empress Wu, Queen Victoria, however, came to the throne at the age of 18 naturally and easily after William IV's death in 1837. But when her husband died, she kept herself in a distress and refused to attend public activities for a long period of time.

I hold that this is a proof that rather clearly shows Empress Wu put the place of family second to political power while Queen Victoria put it the other way. 

My comments:

The path of human history treaded on the inferior position of female. But the disadvantaged group always has some pioneers fighting for great dreams to come through, flinging all cautions to the wind. Empress Wu and Queen Victoria are the brave fighters in the human history not only because they demonstrated the infinite female power but also Empress Wu broke part of Chinese feudalism’s notion of women’s social function, making a great step forward in people’s heart.

Was it really wrong to pursue the power at the costs of human lives as Empress Wu did? In a kill-or-die choice? And was it right to let private family problems affect the emotion and action of a ruler as Queen Victoria did? There is no definite answer, I believe. But for one thing I’m sure about is God trade with everybody fairly.

I’m always convinced that women are more easily affected emotionally by family connection than man. Empress Wu killed her daughter with her own hands to trade for the power, and she had to suffer from her feelings of sin every moment for the rest of her life, at least, spiritually, and Empress Wu was no more than an ordinary woman with tears and love, so I still believe that Empress Wu, as a mother dropped her bitter tears filled with despair behind the busy world. Just that she was more self-controlled than Queen Victoria made the grief not show in her public life.

The charm of history is weaved up by the heroes and heroins, every stage of history has some key figures for that segment of history to be identified. 

With every bud showing the vigor of life,

With every moment filled with gradual maturity,

With every sunrise conveying the freshness to open a new day,

New sail of history begins.