A sample of what the Information books could look like.

1. Tang Dynasty
Empress Wu
Written by Kevin Yin

3. Table of Contents
Introduction ……………… pg. 3
Overview ……………… pg. 4
All About Empress Wu ………… pg. 5
Small Moments Story ………… pg. 7
Opinion Writing ………………… pg. 8
Conclusion …………………… pg. 10
Glossary …………………… pg. 11

4. Introduction
The Tang was a very special period in Chinese
history. It took place between the year 618 and the year
907. Many experts on Chinese history consider the Tang
Dynasty to be the “Golden Age” of Chinese history.
During this time, China was unified as one country, it had
one ruler, and it expanded its borders to cover the most
land area it ever had. Great inventions were created.
Important discoveries were made. Amazing artistic works
were accomplished. In this booklet, I am going to explore
the Tang Dynasty with you.
Figure 1The Tang Dynasty was very big, this picture compares it to the land now.

5. Overview
Tang Dynasty changed, either through invention, or
Military, or clothing. Gunpowder, telescope, wheels, and
wood printing were all clever inventions from that time.
The military improved, Military soldiers planted food and
crops to support themselves. They got stronger, and
trained to become more skillful, which help them fight
their enemies. Clothing also became more comfortable.
People wore silk. It was very expensive though. This
manufacture was also a secret and people who told
other countries how to would be killed. The Tang Dynasty
was larger, wealthier, and more powerful. China was
even bigger than now!

6. All About Empress Wu
Empress Wu was born on February 17,624 in Li Zhou.
Unlike other girls of that time, she had a good education
since her family was rich. Wu Ze Tian was taught many
arts, such as reading, writing, and playing music. She was
an intelligent and ambitious person who learned things
quickly. She didn’t know that soon she would become
one of the most famous emperors in all of Chinese
history.
At the age of 19, she moved into the imperial palace
to serve the emperor. She soon became his favorite wife.
When her daughter died, she told the emperor that
empress Wang has killed her daughter because of
jealousy. The emperor believed her and put empress
Wang in jail. Then, the emperor died in 683 which gave
Wu Ze Tian a good chance to take his place.
This was the places in the Tang Dynasty.

7. When the emperor died, Wu Ze Tian’s son became
emperor. But Wu Ze Tian established herself as a
significant power behind the throne. Eventually, she had
her son step down and she became emperor herself. She
was the first woman emperor in all of Chinese history.
Many people were angry. So, Wu Ze Tian used secret
police to keep order: she sent spies to see if powerful
bureaucrats were loyal. She rewarded those people and
put those who were not loyal to death.
Another reason she came to rule China was that she
was a clever emperor who made intelligent decisions
helping China to prosper. She picked advisors based on
their abilities instead of their family history. The Tang
dynasty became stronger and stronger during the years
of her rule, and no one ever disagree with her.

8. Small Moments Story (Fiction)
It was 5A.M., I dressed up and rode my horse to the
north. The sun has just rose, and the light gave me
energy, I must complete my task. Empress Wu was
worried, she was afraid that somebody might take over
her. So, she sent spies to see whether they were loyal.
She gave me this task last night. I almost didn’t sleep.
Finally, an idea jumps into my mind. I disguised myself as
an old man to go to the north to find a powerful
bureaucrat. I pretended to cry and said to him:” I hate
Wu Ze Tian! I don’t want her on the throne anymore!”
The bureaucrat was fooled and told me what he thought,
I got what I wanted and went back to tell Empress Wu
what happened. She immediately led her army to the
bureaucrat’s house and killed him. His family never
fought back again. This was how I tricked him and
became empress Wu’s favorite spy.

9. Opinion Writing
I think empress Wu was amazing because she
became an unexpected leader in the Tang Dynasty and
ruled a long time until her death. She made good
decisions which made China stronger. Also, because
women were not allowed to be the emperor, she
became famous because of her actions.
Do you Know?
Wu Ze Tian was
the third emperor
of the Tang
Dynasty. Her real
name was Wu Xu,
then changed to
Wu Zhao.

10. Empress Wu ruled for a long time. She began when
the emperor got sick in 660, she began to rule through
him. Even though she didn’t have the title of the
emperor, she had the power. she ruled like that for 30
years until finally, she made her son step down. Then,
she ruled 15 more years until her death.
She made many good decisions to help China. Even
though she was woman, China was still strong. She used
good and skillful people, who served her faithfully.
Empress Wu has a life full of wonderful things, but when she died, she chose to be quiet.

11. Conclusion
Tang dynasty was an amazing time in Chinese
history. It included beautiful poetry, amazing
inventions, and interesting stories. It is a amazing
dynasty which worth learning about it again and
again. After reading my booklet ,are you ready to go
to the library and buy more books about this
wonderful dynasty?