Imperial Consort Tangshan was an Imperial Consort of Emperor Gaozu of the Western Han Dynasty. She was one of the few women writers who had come from the Han imperial family.[1] She had composed a song called “Sacrificial Ode: Inside the Chamber.”[2] The song would be used throughout the Han Dynasty as an ancestral worship song in temples.[3] Even though she composed a famous song, there are only three known facts about her life.[4] This is because ancient historical texts did not include her biography.[5] Thus, Imperial Consort Tangshan is a very important but largely unknown royal figure.[6]
The birth of Imperial Consort Tangshan remains unknown.[7] Her personal name is also unknown.[8] Tangshan was her family name.[9] However, her family background remains unknown.[10] Imperial Consort Tangshan was known to be knowledgeable in the classics and folk songs.[11] Therefore, some modern historians believe that she was a commoner who had been nominated to enter the palace as an Imperial Consort.[12] Other modern historians believe that her knowledge of classical literature shows that she came from a prominent family that allowed her to cultivate her literary talent.[13]
Tangshan became an Imperial Consort to Emperor Gaozu of the Western Han Dynasty (r. 202-195 B.C.E.). Imperial Consort Tangshan composed the song “Sacrificial Ode: Inside the Chamber.”[14] Here is an excerpt of the song:
“Thoroughwort and figs
Moving back and forth the cinnamon flowers
Piously we present Heaven’s rites
Complying with the radiance of sun and moon.
[The spirits] mount the four dragons of profound mystery,
Dashing in circles and moving around.
Feathers and banners rich in abundance,
Lush indeed, spreading far and farther.
The Way of filial piety continuous with our age,
We display the brilliant order of ritual!”[15]
Imperial Consort Tangshan’s death is unknown.[16] “Sacrificial Ode: Inside the Chamber”[17] became a famous temple song. It was used for ancestral worship ceremonies during the Han Dynasty.[18] After the Han Dynasty, the song became obscure.[19] However, her song was revived in popularity with the aid of scholars of the Ming and Qing eras.[20]
Imperial Consort Tangshan’s life is mostly unknown.[21] However, her song, “Sacrificial Ode: Inside the Chamber”[22] has greatly endured.[23] Imperial Consort Tangshan was an early pioneer of temple songs that helped influence classic Chinese literature.[24] She also helped develop poetry with “three-character and seven-character lines”[25]. Through her renowned song, Imperial Consort Tangshan will never be forgotten.[26]
Sources:
Hu, Q. (2023). Abandoned Women and Boudoir Resentment: The Construction of the Feminine Voice in Early Medieval Chinese Literature. Germany: Brill.
The Cambridge History of Chinese Literature. (2010). (Owen, S., Ed.; Sun Chang, K, Ed.). United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press.
Wong, Y. L., et al. (2015). “Tangshan, Concubine of Emperor Gaozu”. Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women: Antiquity Through Sui, 1600 B.C.E. – 618 C.E. (L. X. H. Lee, Ed.; A. D. Stefanowska, Ed.; S. Wiles, Ed.). NY: Routledge. pp. 195-198.
[1] Hu, 2023
[2] Wong, et al., 2015, p. 196
[3] Wong, et al., 2015
[4] Wong, et al., 2015
[5] Wong, et al., 2015
[6] Hu, 2023; Sun Chang and Owen Eds., 2010; Wong, et al., 2015
[7] Wong, et al., 2015
[8] Wong, et al., 2015
[9] Wong, et al., 2015
[10] Wong, et al., 2015
[11] Wong, et al., 2015
[12] Wong, et al., 2015
[13] Wong, et al., 2015
[14] Wong, et al., 2015, p. 196
[15] Sun Chang and Owen Eds., 2010, p. 88
[16] Wong, et al., 2015
[17] Wong, et al., 2015, p. 196
[18] Wong, et al., 2015
[19] Wong, et al., 2015
[20] Wong, et al., 2015
[21] Sun Chang and Owen Eds., 2010; Wong, et al., 2015
[22] Wong, et al., 2015, p. 196
[23] Wong, et al., 2015
[24] Sun Chang and Owen Eds., 2010; Wong, et al., 2015
[25] Wong, et al., 2015, p. 198
[26] Wong, et al., 2015
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