You can easily go through your entire life in the west having never heard the name Wu Zao (courtesy name Wu Pinxiang). It’s almost as if she’s been erased from western scholarship. (Almost.) In the few places you’ll see her mentioned, there’s a very good chance, however, like the linked Wikipedia article, that you’ll get the facts of her being a lyricist, a poet, a guqin player, and a literary scholar.

One of the key facts of her identity, however, will not be shared typically. Which is weird because she’s celebrated in China partially for these very key facts. (Well, that and she’s actually a very accomplished poet; poetry being an art still beloved in Chinese culture.)

So let’s explore a bit more what makes this woman worthy of being a “Kick-Ass Woman from History”, shall we?

Just the Facts, Ma’am

Let’s get the dull facts out of the way first. Wu Zao was born in 1799 in the Qing Dynasty to a wealthy merchant family in Renhe (modern day Hangzhou). She was married (unhappily: this is called foreshadowing!) to another wealthy merchant. Her literary talent was demonstrated and recognized from a very young age; her clear intellect and poetic talent well-known among her peers.

The Qing Dynasty is a period marked both by a flourishing literary culture, but also very strict gender norms. Despite this she entered the literary scene in her twenties with a huge splash: with, specifically the 杂剧 (Zájù) play 喬影(Qiáoyǐng or “The Fake Image”). Specializing in 词 (cí) 曲 (qū) lyric forms, both noted for refined emotional expression, she had a meteoric rise in the arts scene and her songs were sung China-wide in her lifetime.

In her later years she withdrew to Buddhist contemplation, eschewing her poetry and favouring religious/philosophical study. She died in 1862 leaving behind several Kunqu and Zaju operas, along with three volumes of Ci poetry, as well as a detailed and insightful critique of the famed novel A Dream of Red Mansions.

Her works are categorized into four main themes: lyrical self-expression, poetic exchanges and dedications, metaphorical self-reflection, and appreciation of beautiful scenes and are known for vivid imagery, clever allusions, and refined rhetorical techniques. They are significant for both their artistic achievement and their role in the development of female literary consciousness in China.

Wu Zao is correctly celebrated as one of the most distinguished female lyricists and poets of the Qing Dynasty. Her lyric verse and poetry was widely sung and admired during her lifetime. She was recognized for her unique voice, emotional range, and influence on later generations of women writers in China. In addition she wrote in a style that sometimes adopted masculine literary conventions, further challenging gender norms of her time.

If we stopped here she’s already quite the impressive woman. To achieve such widespread recognition in her own lifetime in a field dominated by men and a society that gave little value to women is a magnificent accomplishment already. I could stop this essay right here and you’d think that perhaps she has already earned the title of a “Kick-Ass Woman of History”.

But she was so much more.

Teasing Hints

The first teasing hint as to the nature of where she really kicks ass is that in all her poems and songs, all her paeans to love and passion (the focus of much of her work) …

… there is absolutely no mention, direct or indirect, of her husband. Now this should not come as a complete surprise to a modern reader given that I already said her marriage was not a happy one. But it runs VERY STRONGLY against the conventions of the time: if women did art, they praised their husbands.

And she didn’t even mention hers.

Sapphic Poet

And the reason for this (and the likely reason for a loveless marriage) is quite simple: Wu Zao was openly sapphic, expressing romantic and sexual love for women in her poetry, especially for female courtesans

Her poems contain direct and passionate language about her relationships and desires for women, making her one of the few historical Chinese poets whose sapphic identity is clear in her literary work. Her sapphic themes are not mere subtext but are explicit, distinguishing her from most of her contemporaries.

She was known for her wit, talent, and the admired “personage spirit” of her era, all while she maintained close relationships with women, including female courtesans and disciples, who were often the subjects of her poetry. Her poetry and life embodied the image of a gifted woman (才女), but also subverted expectations through her overt sapphic themes and literary self-fashioning.

Employing flirtatious and sensual language, especially in her arias, her works both reflected her personal desires and defied the conventions of the genres she worked within.

Today, Wu Zao is especially noted for her openly sapphic poetry and is frequently cited as a historical lesbian poet (though “lesbian” is as much a social construct as is “woman”; it is, however, the closest term we have to what she would have been called in her own time). Her poetry covers themes of love—especially between women—using imagery and wording of longing, sorrow, friendship, and unfulfilled passion.

Her open sapphic identity and literary self-fashioning make her a rare and important figure in Chinese literary history, and that is why she deserves the title of a “Kick-Ass Woman of History”.

Isn’t it a shame she’s barely heard of in the west, and when she is her sexuality is glossed over if mentioned at all?