2013-2014 School of Chinese Research Student Seminar

兩宋(960－1279)共有皇太后二十一位，九位曾垂簾聽政，數目為歷朝之最。她們或為“先帝皇后”、或為“天子生母”，除了表率后宮外，更或因君主沖齡繼位、或因宗藩入繼大統、或因遭逢國難而需要“攝政”以安天下。是次演講將會以不同的史料、圖像作材料，探討宋朝皇太后的形象特點與歷史地位。

The Song Dynasty (960-1279) had a total of twenty-one empress dowagers. Among them, nine had ruled behind the curtain. The number is spectacular in comparison with other dynasties. These empress dowagers had been either the queen to the late emperor or the natural mother of the ruling emperor. They entered the political scene for various reasons: being the highest figure of the imperial family; the emperor succeeding to the throne during infancy; imperial relative becoming the emperor; or political crisis necessitating their involvement to ease people’s mind. Drawn from different historical materials and pictures, this talk explores the image characteristics and historical status of empress dowagers in the Song Dynasty.