Empress Dowager Wang Xianyuan – The Empress Dowager of the Liu-Song Dynasty whose son did not visit her because he was afraid of ghosts

Empress Dowager Wang Xianyuan was the empress consort to Emperor Xiaowu of the Liu-Song Dynasty. She was also the mother of Emperor Qianfei of the Liu-Song Dynasty. Emperor Qianfei was very disobedient to his mother.^[1] When Empress Dowager Wang Xianyuan became gravely ill, Emperor Qianfei refused to visit her because there were ghosts in her room.^[2] Empress Dowager Wang Xianyuan ordered her servants to cut her open to show her son’s disobedience.^[3]

 In 427 C.E., Empress Wang Xianyuan was born. She was the great-granddaughter of Emperor Xiaowu of the Eastern Jin Dynasty.^[4] Her grandmother was Princess Poyang of the Eastern Jin Dynasty.^[5] She was also the granddaughter of Emperor Wu of the Liu-Song Dynasty.^[6] Her father was Wang Yan. Her mother was Princess Liu Rongnan (the Princess of Wuxing) of the Liu-Song Dynasty.^[7] 

In 443 C.E., Wang Xianyuan married Liu Jun, the Prince of Wuling. Therefore, Wang Xianyuan became the Princess of Wuling. She gave birth to six children.^[8] She had two sons.^[9] They were Prince Liu Ziye (the future Emperor Qianfei) and Prince Liu Zishang (the Prince of Yuzhang).^[10] She also had four daughters.^[11] They were Princess Liu Chunyu (the Princess of Shanyin), Princess Liu Chupei (the Princess of Kangai), Princess Liu Chuxiu (the Princess of Linhuai), and Princess Liu Xiuming (the Princess of Kangle).^[12]

^{In 453 C.E., Prince Liu Jun’s half-brother, Prince Liu Shao, murdered their father, Emperor Wen of the Liu-Song Dynasty.[13]} Liu Shao immediately installed himself as emperor.^[14] Later that year, Prince Liu Jun murdered his half-brother, Emperor Liu Shao.^[15] Liu Jun ascended the throne as Emperor Xiaowu. On 5 June 453 C.E., Wang Xianyuan was invested as empress.^[16] Emperor Xiaowu made his eldest son, Liu Ziye, the Crown Prince.^[17] During Emperor Xiaowu’s reign, he was known for his sexual immorality.^[18] It was said that he had over thirty children with various concubines.^[19]

On 12 July 464 C.E., Emperor Xiaowu of the Liu-Song Dynasty died. His son, Liu Ziye, ascended the throne as Emperor Qianfei.^[20] Emperor Qianfei made Wang Xianyuan the empress dowager.^[21] Emperor Qianfei was said to be “blatantly unfilial”^[22] to Empress Dowager Wang Xianyuan.

In the fall of 464 C.E., Empress Dowager Wang Xianyuan fell ill.^[23] Empress Dowager Wang Xianyuan summoned her son, Emperor Qianfei, to her chambers.^[24] However, Emperor Qianfei refused to visit her because he believed that ghosts lived inside sick people’s rooms.^[25] This angered Empress Dowager Wang Xianyuan.^[26] She said to her servants: “Bring me a knife and cut me open. Then we’ll see where a nice baby boy like him comes from.”^[27] She died soon afterwards, on 9 October 464 C.E.^[28] She was thirty-eight years old.^[29] She was buried beside her husband, Emperor Xiaowu. She was given the posthumous title of Empress Xiaowenmu.^[30]

Empress Wang Xianyuan was descended from the fallen Jin Dynasty and the Liu-Song Dynasty.^[31] She had a turbulent relationship with her son, Emperor Qianfei.^[32] Even though he made her empress dowager, he did not respect her.^[33] He did not even visit her when she was sick.^[34] Therefore, Empress Wang Xianyuan was unhappy in her final moments.^[35] Wang Xianyuan was one of Liu-Song’s most unfortunate Chinese empresses.^[36]

Sources:

iNews. (n.d.). “The Tragic Life of Sima Dewen, Emperor Gong of Jin”. Retrieved on January 31, 2025 from https://inf.news/en/history/6fcd788fe04aeaa0953af1e2df30f101.html#google_vignette.

McMahon, K. (2013). Women Shall Not Rule: Imperial Wives and Concubines in China from Han to Liao. NY: Rowman and Littlefield.