北宋女主政治中的女性意识——以对刘太后的考察为中心

Feminine Consciousness in the Woman Dominated Politics of Northern Song Dynasty: Based on the Study of Empress Liu

中国学界对于中国古代女性意识的研究,大多基于对中国古代文学作品的分析;但事实上,中国历史上有很多女性人物在政治实践中也表现出强烈的女性意识。北宋著名女主刘太后在长达11年之久的垂帘听政期间,即在封建男权社会的政治大背景下,通过改立年号、提高仪礼规格、颁布诏令法律等途径和方式,表达了她与男性皇帝共治天下的政治欲望与"巾帼不让须眉"的女性意识。她在政治上欲与仁宗皇帝"二人同圣",在家庭关系中主张"夫妇齐体",甚至企冀把这种女主与男性皇帝共治天下的格局延续后世,成为中国古代女主政治人物中具有强烈女性意识的一位典型代表。

Research on feminine consciousness in traditional China is mostly based on analysis of Chinese traditional literary works. But actually, strong feminine consciousness could also be found in real political practice of many female figures in traditional China. Lady Liu, the Empress of Song Renzong in Northern Song, was a famous female master in Song Dynasty, who held the supreme power at the beginning of Renzong＇s reign more than 11 years. In this period, she demonstrated that she was as capableas an emperor, through naming the title of reign, raising her ritual standards and issuing decrees. She attended ritual ceremonies in order to deepen the political sense of the so-called Two Saints, her and the emperor, together ruling the country. She argued for the husband and wife to be a whole with one complementing the other. She even wanted to extend the co-ruling of empress and emperor to her future generations. Though her attempts failed, they still reflected that she was representative of female political figures with strong feminine consciousness of equal abilities between the sexes in traditional China.