Yuan Leshang (; born 565), later

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

nun name Huasheng (華勝), was a

concubine Concubinage is an interpersonal and sexual relationship between a man and a woman in which the couple does not want, or cannot enter into a full marriage. Concubinage and marriage are often regarded as similar but mutually exclusive. Concubi ...

of the Emperor Xuan of the

Northern Zhou dynasty Zhou (), known in historiography as the Northern Zhou (), was a Xianbei-led dynasty of China that lasted from 557 to 581. One of the Northern dynasties of China's Northern and Southern dynasties period, it succeeded the Western Wei dynasty an ...

of China. Yuan Leshang's father was Yuan Sheng (元晟), a Northern Zhou official and a descendant of the

Northern Wei Wei (), known in historiography as the Northern Wei (), Tuoba Wei (), Yuan Wei () and Later Wei (), was founded by the Tuoba (Tabgach) clan of the Xianbei. The first of the Northern and Southern dynasties#Northern dynasties, Northern dynasties ...

's imperial Yuan clan. In 579, Yuan Leshang was selected to be an imperial consort for Emperor Xuan, with the title of ''Guifei'' (貴妃). A month later, Emperor Xuan passed the throne to his son Emperor Jing and took an atypical title for a

retired emperor Retired Emperor, Grand Emperor, or Emperor Emeritus is a title occasionally used by the monarchical regimes in the Sinosphere for former emperors who had (at least in name) abdicated voluntarily to another member of the same clan, usually their s ...

, "Emperor Tianyuan" (天元皇帝, ''Tianyuan Huangdi''). He subsequently decided that in addition to his wife Empress

Yang Lihua Yang Lihua (; 561–609) was an empress of the Xianbei-led Chinese Northern Zhou dynasty, and later a princess of Sui dynasty. Her husband was Emperor Xuan of Northern Zhou (Yuwen Yun), and her father was Yang Jian who later usurped the Nort ...

, he would create three more empresses, and Consort Yuan was selected as one—with the title of Empress Tianyou (天右皇后, ''Tianyou Huanghou''), subsequently changed in spring 580 to ''Tianyou Da Huanghou'' (天右大皇后). Among the empresses, she was said to be closest to

Chen Yueyi Chen Yueyi (; 565?-650?), later Buddhist nun name Huaguang (華光), was a concubine of Emperor Xuan of the Northern Zhou dynasty of China. Chen Yueyi's father was Chen Shanti (陳山提), and she was his eighth daughter. Chen Shanti was initiall ...

, as they entered the palace at the same time and were the same age, and they were also both favored by Emperor Xuan. Emperor Xuan died in summer 580, and Empress Yang's father Yang Jian became

regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

. Empress Yuan became a Buddhist nun with the name of Huasheng, and she outlived Yang Jian's subsequent

Sui dynasty The Sui dynasty (, ) was a short-lived imperial dynasty of China that lasted from 581 to 618. The Sui unified the Northern and Southern dynasties, thus ending the long period of division following the fall of the Western Jin dynasty, and layi ...

. According to both the ''

Book of Zhou The ''Book of Zhou'' (''Zhōu Shū'') records the official history of the Xianbei-led Western Wei and Northern Zhou dynasties of China, and ranks among the official Twenty-Four Histories of imperial China. Compiled by the Tang dynasty historian ...

'' and ''

History of Northern Dynasties The ''History of the Northern Dynasties'' () is one of the official Chinese historical works in the ''Twenty-Four Histories'' canon. The text contains 100 volumes and covers the period from 386 to 618, the histories of Northern Wei, Western We ...

'', she was still alive as of the reign of

Emperor Taizong of Tang Emperor Taizong of Tang (28January 59810July 649), previously Prince of Qin, personal name Li Shimin, was the second emperor of the Tang dynasty of China, ruling from 626 to 649. He is traditionally regarded as a co-founder of the dynasty ...

(626-649), but nothing further was recorded in either of those two official histories about her.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yuan, Leshang Northern Zhou empresses Northern Zhou Buddhists Sui dynasty Buddhists Tang dynasty Buddhists Chinese Buddhist nuns 6th-century Buddhist nuns 7th-century Buddhist nuns 565 births 7th-century deaths