Writers › Writer / Poet
Shangguan Wan'er
Tang poet and palace official, granddaughter of the chief minister Shangguan Yi, who entered the palace as a child after her grandfather's fall, drafted edicts for Wu Zetian, and as Brilliant Consort under Emperor Zhongzong urged the expansion of the Academy for Literary Refinement and judged court poetry; she was killed by Li Longji in the 710 coup.
Mural of the event “Zhaorong Drafts Imperial Edicts”, which this person took part in.
Shangguan Wan'er, granddaughter of Shangguan Yi, was taken into the palace women's quarters as an infant, summoned by Wu Zetian at fourteen (677) and went on to draft edicts in the palace. Under Emperor Zhongzong she became Zhaorong, urged the enlargement of the Xiuwen Hall academy and led the court's poetry banquets, ranking the officials' poems.
Also known as Shangguanzhaorong · Shangguanzhaoyi · Zhaorong
Shangguan Wan'er, also called Shangguan Zhaorong, was a Tang poet and palace official. When her grandfather, the chief minister Shangguan Yi, was executed, she and her mother entered the palace as servants. Gifted in letters from childhood, she won Wu Zetian's favour and drafted palace edicts for many years. Under Emperor Zhongzong she was made Brilliant Consort (zhaorong), urged the expansion of the Academy for Literary Refinement with more scholars, presided over court poetry gatherings and judged the courtiers' verse, influencing early Tang poetry. She was killed in Li Longji's coup of 710. Her biographies are among the consorts in both Tang histories.
Life and times
Dates 664 CE–710 CE
- 677Zhaorong Drafts Imperial EdictsTook partage 13
- 677Shangguan Wan'er Drafting Imperial Decreesage 13
- 705Shangguan Wan'er and Xiuwen Hall Poetsage 41
- 709Shangguan Wan'er's Edicts and Collected Worksage 45