When it comes to strong women in history, many people's first impression is Wu Zetian, Lü Yan and so on. However, they are all strong women who appear in the Central Plains countries. So, did there ever be a woman in the neighboring countries of ancient China who could match Wu Zetian and Lü Yan? Yes, she is Empress Xiao of the Liao Kingdom, and she has supported half of the sky of the Liao Kingdom with the strength of a woman. At the same time, in the history of the Liao State, there were also many strong women, such as Empress Dowager Ying Tian, Shu Luping, Emperor Sejong's Concubine Zhen, etc., who all had a pivotal position in the Liao State.
Then the question arises, in the ancient society of male superiority and female inferiority, why did the concubines of the Liao State have such great power? As we all know, the Liao state was founded by the Khitan ethnic minority. The Khitan concubines can have so much power in the court mainly because of the following three reasons: First, the participation of the concubines in politics has a lot to do with the traditional customs of the Khitans. Second, it is related to the living environment of the Khitans. Third, the role model effect, of course, this is also inseparable from the powerful political ideology and consciousness of the concubines themselves.
First of all, the khitan women are superior in strength, which has a lot to do with the living environment of the Khitan people. The birthplace of the Khitan people is the grassland in the north of China, and this area has become a bitter cold place in the eyes of the Han people because of the extremely harsh natural environment. Imagine how a nation that can survive in such a land and environment can be a weak person. Of course, it is not just the men in the tribe, and the women will also become more tenacious and powerful than the average woman.
Because the Khitans were a nomadic people, although the men in the tribe undertook a lot of manual labor. However, in the face of natural disasters or the migration of the tribe as a whole, it is naturally impossible for women to sit at home and enjoy the blessings. The cruel natural environment and the unique way of survival make this Khitan woman not very weak in thinking. They have such an independent thinking as a premise, and the participation of concubines in the later period, and even directly participating in the decision-making of some major military and political events in the Liao State, is naturally not a surprising thing!
Secondly, the Khitan, like other ethnic groups in the Central Plains, also experienced a matriarchal society. However, unlike the Central Plains, the Khitan retained a large number of matriarchal social traditions. At the beginning of the establishment of the Liao State, although it also learned a lot of etiquette and customs from the Central Plains, the social phenomenon of the lofty status of women itself did not disappear with the social development of the Khitan people. For example, the Khitan regeneration instrument (Liao Shi Li zhi) said: the ceremony of regeneration, the year of the week, so that the Son of Heaven is a ceremony, in order to raise his filial piety. The existence of this ritual proves from the side that the khitan concubines have a high status. With the recognition of the imperial court and society, it was natural for the concubines to participate in politics.
In the end, nature is the role model effect, just like when Wu Zetian ascended the throne, he drove a large number of princesses to advance. At the beginning of the founding of the Liao State, the participation of Empress Shulu of Yelü Abaoji in political affairs to a large extent inspired the participation of later concubines in politics. With such a beginning, the court would naturally not be so repulsive to the participation of the empress dowager in politics. Moreover, combined with the previous reasons for protection, coupled with the fact that these concubines themselves are indeed superior, it is natural for the concubines to go to the court. I have to say that in the ancient patriarchal society, the concubines of the Liao State could go from the harem to the former dynasty, which was indeed not easy.
Historical and political reasons aside, the strength of the Liao empresses themselves was also one of the main reasons why they shone in the court. They use their minds and deeds to prove to the world that women can indeed top half the sky! Participation in political state is not the prerogative of men, and as long as conditions permit, there will not be only one "Wu Zetian" in history. Moreover, the participation of concubines of the Liao state in politics is indeed a major feature of the distribution of power in the Liao state, which not only affects the historical development of the Liao state, but also affects the development of neighboring countries.