Chen Shuozhen (; died 653) was a

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdom ...

woman from Muzhou (in modern Chun'an,

Zhejiang Zhejiang ( or , ; , Chinese postal romanization, also romanized as Chekiang) is an East China, eastern, coastal Provinces of China, province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable citie ...

), who led a peasant uprising in 653. During the rebellion, she declared herself Empress Wenjia (文佳皇帝),''

Zizhi Tongjian ''Zizhi Tongjian'' () is a pioneering reference work in Chinese historiography, published in 1084 AD during the Northern Song (960–1127), Northern Song dynasty in the form of a chronicle recording Chinese history from 403 BC to 959&n ...

'', vol. 199. becoming the first female rebel leader in Chinese history to assume the title of ''Huangdi'' (Emperor). Shuozhen rang bells and burnt incense as she marched to war. She was said to have magic powers, and her people said she was a deity.

Biography

Chen Shuozhen was born from a humble and slave background. She was the sister-in-law of Zhang Shuzeng. In the early years of Tang Gaozong, the Zhejiang area, it went through successive periods of famine. The peasants were living in precarious conditions, due to hunger and also the oppression of the nobles. Because of this, there was an increasing discontent with the feudal lords and the Empire. Chen Shuozhen appears since then, she sympathized with the victims of the famine, robbing the aristocrats to help the people. In 653 AD, less than four years after the death of Emperor Taizong, a large-scale peasant uprising occurred in

during the four years of Tang Gaozong's Yonghui. Chen Shuozhen was the leader of this rebellion, she claimed to return to the world from heaven, and turned into a man. She gathered a large number of believers with enchanting people. In early 653, she started her own army and claimed to be "the Emperor Wenjia"; and appointed her brother-in-law (Zhang Shuzeng) as her prime minister. Emperor Wenjia's led two thousand people to capture

Chenzhou Chenzhou () is a prefecture-level city located in the south of Hunan province, China, bordering the provinces of Jiangxi to the east and Guangdong to the south. Its administrative area covers , 9.2% of the provincial area, and its total populatio ...

and Yuqian County, she also attacked

Zhangzhou Zhangzhou (), alternately romanized as Changchow, is a prefecture-level city in Fujian Province, China. The prefecture around the city proper comprises the southeast corner of the province, facing the Taiwan Strait and surrounding the prefect ...

but failed. After several battles the whole army was wiped out. She was also killed in November of that year, and tens of thousands of people surrendered. Emperor Wenjia's reign lasted only two months, with the last of her 14,000 troops surrendering in late 653. Her story survives though as she's said to have inspired the Fang La's uprising at the end of the

Northern Song Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a r ...

and remains prominent in

folklore.

References

Women leaders of China 653 deaths 7th-century executions by the Tang dynasty People from Hangzhou Year of birth unknown Generals from Zhejiang Tang dynasty rebels 7th-century women rulers 7th-century Chinese monarchs Women in war in China Women in medieval warfare Chinese female military personnel Empresses regnant Self-proclaimed monarchy {{China-hist-stub