Royals › Empress / Consort
Yin Lihua
Beloved and virtuous empress of Emperor Guangwu of Han
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 Guanglie · Lady Yin
- Roles
- Empress / Consort
Yin Lihua, from Xinye in Nanyang, was the first wife of Liu Xiu, Emperor Guangwu of the Eastern Han, and became his second empress. She married him in 23 and was made empress in 41. She was the mother of Emperor Ming, Liu Zhuang, and died in 64, receiving the posthumous title Empress Guanglie. The Book of the Later Han says the young Liu Xiu once remarked that in office one should be Bearer of the Golden Mace and in marriage one should win Yin Lihua, and describes her as frugal, humane and filial as empress.
Life and times
Dates 5 - 64