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Empress Zhangsun
Empress of Taizong of Tang, sister of Zhangsun Wuji and author of the lost Nüze
In a spring palace garden, a pavilion with round windows stands over a pond of goldfish; a peony-painted round fan, a zither and a lacquer box of pearl hairpins lie in the foreground, and one small figure in a long-sleeved gown stands at the far end of a covered walkway.
Also known as Empress Wende · Lady Zhangsun
- Roles
- Empress / Consort
Empress Zhangsun was the wife of Taizong, Li Shimin, and the younger sister of Zhangsun Wuji. Born in 601, she married Li Shimin in 613 and was made empress in 626, soon after he took the throne. She died in 636 and was given the posthumous title Empress Wende. She is recorded as urging the emperor to accept advice and asking him not to give her brother high office. She wrote the Nüze, which is lost.
Life and times
Dates 601 - 636