Princess Yongtai (), born Li Xianhui (); 685 – October 9, 701''Tombstone of the Deceased Princess Yongtai of Tang''

Academia Sinica Academia Sinica (AS, la, 1=Academia Sinica, 3=Chinese Academy; ), headquartered in Nangang, Taipei, is the national academy of Taiwan. Founded in Nanking, the academy supports research activities in a wide variety of disciplines, ranging from ...

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),

courtesy name A courtesy name (), also known as a style name, is a name bestowed upon one at adulthood in addition to one's given name. This practice is a tradition in the East Asian cultural sphere, including China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.Ulrich Theobald ...

Nonghui (穠輝), was a princess of the

Tang Dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...

Biography

Li was the seventh daughter of

Emperor Zhongzong of Tang Emperor Zhongzong of Tang (26 November 656 – 3 July 710), personal name Li Xian, and at other times Li Zhe or Wu Xian, was the fourth Emperor of the Tang dynasty of China, ruling briefly in 684 and again from 705 to 710. During the first pe ...

and the second daughter of Empress Wei. She married Wu Yanji (武延基), Prince of Wei, a grandnephew of

Wu Zetian Wu Zetian (17 February 624 – 16 December 705), personal name Wu Zhao, was the ''de facto'' ruler of the Tang dynasty from 665 to 705, ruling first through others and then (from 690) in her own right. From 665 to 690, she was first empres ...

Death

The cause of Li's death is widely disputed. One report states that

, who had deposed Zhongzong after a brief reign, heard of remarks that Li supposedly made and had her flogged to death, or alternatively she was made to hang herself. Her husband and elder brother were also executed. It was reported that Li, her husband and her brother were heard laughing over part of court life they found absurd. This was reported to the Empress who was paranoid and saw a threat to her position and reign everywhere. It was said that, knowing they were to be executed, Li, her husband and brother, saw suicide as the better option. She was originally written to have suffered a traitors death, though this was untrue and merely what the Empress ordered to be recorded. In contrast, the epitaph from her tomb states that she died in

childbirth Childbirth, also known as labour and delivery, is the ending of pregnancy where one or more babies exits the internal environment of the mother via vaginal delivery or caesarean section. In 2019, there were about 140.11 million births globall ...

. After Wu Zetian's death, when her father again came to the throne, she and her brother were reburied in grand tombs in the

Qianling Mausoleum The Qianling Mausoleum () is a Tang dynasty (618–907) tomb site located in Qian County, Shaanxi province, China, and is northwest from Xi'an.Valder (2002), 80. Built in 684 (with additional construction until 706), the tombs of the mausoleum ...

in 705.

Tomb

Li's tomb was discovered in 1960, and excavated from 1964. Among the

burials, Li's is the largest belonging to a woman. It had been robbed in the past, probably soon after the burial, and items in precious materials taken, but the thieves had not bothered with the over 800 pottery tomb figures, and the extensive frescoes were untouched. The robbers had left in a hurry, leaving silver items scattered around, and the corpse of one of their number. The tomb had a flattened pyramid rising 12 metres above ground, and a long sloping entrance tunnel lined with frescoes, leading to an ante-chamber and the tomb chamber itself, 12 metres below ground level with a high domed roof. Most of the contents, including the frescoes, are now in the

Shaanxi History Museum Shaanxi History Museum, which is located to the northwest of the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda in the ancient city Xi'an, in the Shaanxi province of China, is one of the first huge state museums with modern facilities in China and one of the largest. T ...

. The frescoes depicted the four deities, ceremonial weaponry, daily life in the imperial court, and

celestial bodies An astronomical object, celestial object, stellar object or heavenly body is a naturally occurring physical entity, association, or structure that exists in the observable universe. In astronomy, the terms ''object'' and ''body'' are often us ...

. The tomb also provides an example of

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...

architecture, with depictions of buildings and caisson motifs. The main subject of the frescoes is women, the majority of whom are shown without make-up and wearing no jewellery. There are also several carved human figures, who seem to be

ladies-in-waiting A lady-in-waiting or court lady is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but of lower rank than the woman to whom sh ...

. File:Tomb of Princess Yongtai (9906232275).jpg, Paintings from the wall of the tomb. File:Tomb of Princess Yongtai (9906286096).jpg, Roof of the tomb. File:Stone tomb of Princess Yongtai, Qianling Museum.jpg, Stone sarcophagus of Princess Yongtai (side view, reproduction), Qianling Museum. Designed as a stone house with hip-and-gable roof, it is comparable to the sarcophagus of

Li Jingxun Li Jingxun (Chinese: 李靜訓, Lĭ Jìngxùn, also 李小孩, Lĭ Xiǎohái, 600-608 CE) was a 9-year-old princess of the Sui dynasty when she died in 608 CE. Her stone sarcophagus was found undisturbed in 1957 near the Old City in Xi'an, Shaanxi ...

, although much larger with a surface of 40 square meters. Qianlong Museum notice File:Epitaph of Li Xianhui.jpg, Epitaph of Princess Yongtai

Notes

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Yongtai, Princess 685 births 701 deaths 8th-century executions by the Tang dynasty Deaths_in_childbirth Daughters of emperors Executed Chinese women Executed royalty Suicides in the Tang dynasty Tang dynasty princesses Unsolved deaths

Biography

Death

Tomb

See also

Notes

References