Royals › Empress / Consort
Hu Chonghua
Consort of Emperor Xuanwu of Northern Wei and mother of Emperor Xiaoming, regent from 515 and drowned in the Yellow River in 528; known by her posthumous title Empress Dowager Ling.
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 Dowager Ling · Empress Ling of Emperor Xuanwu · Empress Dowager Hu
- Roles
- Empress / Consort
Hu, the Empress Dowager Ling of Northern Wei, was from Anding and the daughter of the Minister Hu Guozhen; her personal name is not recorded, and she is known as Hu Chonghua after her rank of Chonghua (Lady of Ample Splendour) under Emperor Xuanwu. Mother of Emperor Xiaoming, she acted as regent from his accession in 515. In 520 Yuan Cha and others confined her in the Northern Palace; she was freed in 523 and regained power in 524. After Xiaoming's sudden death in 528 she installed first an infant and then Yuan Zhao, and was captured by Erzhu Rong and drowned in the Yellow River. The song Yang Baihua is traditionally credited to her.
Life and times
Dates Birth year unknown; regent from 515 CE, drowned in the Yellow River in 528 CE