Royals › Empress / Consort
Empress Chen
First empress of Emperor Wu of Han, daughter of the Grand Princess of Guantao, deposed for sorcery in 130 BCE and confined to the Changmen Palace.
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 Chen Ajiao (name from the Han Wu Gushi) · Empress Chen of Emperor Wu
- Roles
- Empress / Consort
Empress Chen was the daughter of Chen Wu, Marquis of Tangyi, and the Grand Princess Liu Piao of Guantao, and so a cousin of Emperor Wu. Married to him while he was crown prince, she became empress on his accession but, proud and childless, lost favour. In 130 BCE she was deposed after the shaman Chu Fu was found cursing on her behalf, and she lived out her last years in the Changmen Palace, dying a few years later. The histories do not record her given name; 'Ajiao' comes from the fictional Han Wu Gushi. The preface to the Changmen Rhapsody claims she paid Sima Xiangru in gold to write it.
Life and times
Dates Dates unknown; empress 141–130 BCE