Wu Zetian
她是谁？ | Who Was She?
武则天是中国历史上唯一正式以皇帝身份统治的女性。她生活在唐代，从宫廷中的女性逐渐进入政治权力中心，并最终于690年建立武周、登上皇帝的位置。她不仅参与政治，而且成为整个帝国最高权力的拥有者。她的政治生涯也一直是中国历史中极具争议和讨论的人物之一。
Wu Zetian was the only woman in Chinese history to officially rule as emperor in her own right. Living during the Tang period, she rose from the imperial court into the centre of political power and eventually established the Zhou dynasty in 690 and took the imperial throne. She did not simply participate in politics—she became the highest political authority in the empire.
她如何挑战女性刻板印象？ | How Does She Challenge Traditional Expectations?
在传统父权政治体系中，皇帝的位置几乎完全属于男性。女性通常被期待成为妻子、母亲、皇后，或者男性权力背后的支持者，而不是权力本身的拥有者。武则天打破了这一限制。无论人们如何评价她的政治手段，她的历史意义都在于：她证明了女性可以进入一个过去被认为属于男性的最高权力领域。在《由她》中，她因此代表“掌命”——人生不应该完全由家庭、社会或者别人决定，而应该拥有决定自己人生方向的权利。
In a patriarchal political system, the position of emperor was overwhelmingly associated with men. Women were generally expected to become wives, mothers, empresses, or supporters of male authority rather than holders of authority themselves. Wu Zetian challenged this boundary. Regardless of how her political methods are judged, her historical significance lies in the fact that she entered a form of political power traditionally reserved for men and claimed the highest position for herself. In Her Choice, she therefore represents “Taking Control of Your Destiny”—the idea that your life should not be completely determined by family, society, or other people.
