Historical Chinese figure Daji (妲己), who is often described in literature as a malevolent spirit, was actually a female general who helped her husband, King Zhou (紂王) of the Shang Dynasty, in battle, a researcher said.
Historical texts generally describe Daji as King Zhou’s favorite concubine, and in novels and legends she is depicted as a malevolent fox spirit who was responsible for the downfall of the dynasty, said Hwang Ming-chorng (黃銘崇), a research fellow at Academia Sinica’s Institute of History and Philology.
However, research has shown that the queens of the Shang Dynasty wore armor and were required to follow the king onto the battlefield, he said.
Photo courtesy of the Institute of History and Philology
The museum commissioned graphic artist Chi You (蚩尤) to paint a likeness of Daji based on its records and artifacts about her to display as part of its permanent collection, he said.
“It’s a very formidable image. She is holding a shield with a zoomorphic pattern, and a bronze battle ax, and her face has the same characteristics seen in bronze masks from the era,” he said.
Huang, who is also director of the museum, said that women in the Shang Dynasty held high social status, and those of nobility were especially active in the royal court’s affairs.
Photo courtesy of the Tamsui Historical Museum
“Take Lady Hao (婦好) [the queen during the reign of King Wu Ding (武丁)], for example. She had to preside over ceremonies, participate in politics and even lead troops into battle,” he said.
Documents showed that Lady Hao was responsible for surrounding and capturing enemy forces, after Wu Ding and other generals drove them back, he said, adding that she would bring captured prisoners to Yinshang, which is now Anyang in China’s Henan Province.
“Queens during the Shang Dynasty all led troops into battle, so it stands to reason that Daji would have done so as well,” he said.
During the final battle of Shang, before the rise of the Zhou Dynasty, Daji and King Zhou escaped under the protection of the remaining Shang troops to the Deer Terrace Pavilion, where they committed self-immolation, he said.
“Confucians in later dynasties attempted to rewrite history by blaming the fall of the Shang on Daji, accusing her of meddling in politics,” he said.
Citing as an example Queen Bao Si (褒姒) of the Zhou Dynasty, Huang said that Chinese historiography often vilified women.
Bao Si is blamed in historical texts for the fall of Western Zhou, as it is said that King You (周幽王) lit warning beacons around the city numerous times to make her laugh, which allegedly resulted in an attack on the Zhou capital.
Huang said that this is untrue, as research has shown that there were no beacon towers in use during that period.
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