Dancing Through the Tang Dynasty: A Beauty in Troubled Times

Wu Zetian, China's only female emperor, was well versed in literature and history and skilled in political intrigue. Princess Taiping was doted on throughout her life by her father, the emperor, her mother, and her elder brothers. She wielded immense power and was hailed as a princess who nearly possessed the whole world. Shangguan Wan'er was a Tang-dynasty court official and poet, deeply favored by Wu Zetian and known as China's female chancellor. When these women crossed paths, they composed an epic song unlike anything that had come before or would ever come again.