Name	Lü Zhi
Birth date	241 BC
Birth place	Shangfu County, Shandong, Qin
Death date	180 BC (aged 61)
Father	Lü Wen
Spouse	Emperor Gaozu of Han
Issue	Princess LuyuanLiu Ying, Emperor Hui
Succession1	Empress consort of the Western Han Dynasty
Reign1	202 BC – 195 BC(7 years)
Reign-type1	Tenure
Predecessor1	None(new creation)
Successor1	Empress Zhang Yan
Succession2	Empress of China
Reign2	202 BC - 195 BC(7 years)
Reign-type2	Tenure
Successor2	Empress Zhang Yan
Succession3	Regent of the Western Han Dynasty
Reign3	188 BC - 180 BC(8 years)
Reign-type3	Regency
Full name	Family name: Lü (呂 Lǚ)Given name: Zhi (雉 zhì) }}

Empress Lü Zhi (呂雉) (died 180 BC), commonly known as Empress Dowager Lü (呂太后, pinyin: Lǚ Tàihòu) or formally as Empress Gao (高皇后, pinyin: Gaō Huánghoù), courtesy name Exu (娥姁), was the wife and empress of Emperor Gaozu of Han, founder of the Han Dynasty. They had two known children—the eventual Emperor Hui and Princess Luyuan. After her husband's death, she carried on a lengthy affair with one of his officials, Shen Yiji (審食其), the Marquess of Piyang, which lasted until her death.

Family background and marriage to Liu Bang

Lü Zhi was born in Shangfu County in Shandong Province during the late Qin Dynasty. Her father Lü Wen (呂文) had fled from an enemy to Pei County (沛縣) and become a friend of the county magistrate of Pei. Her eventual husband Liu Bang was a minor official (泗水亭長) there. Both Lü Gong and Liu Bang were guests in a banquet held by the magistrate of Pei County. Lü Wen was surprised at Liu Bang's appearance and behavior and predicted that he would eventually become a great man. This led to him offering his daughter, Lü Zhi, to Liu Bang in marriage, despite the fact that Liu was only a minor official. She bore Liu Bang a daughter, the later Princess Luyuan, and then, in 210 BC, bore him a son, Liu Ying.

When Chen Sheng rebelled against Qin rule in 209 BC, Liu joined the rebellion. For the next few years, Lü lived with Liu's father and rarely saw her husband.

Life during Chu Han Contention

During the last years of the Qin dynasty, Liu Bang played a major role in its downfall, but in doing so he offended Xiang Yu, who wanted the glory for himself.

In 207 BC, after the fall of Qin, Liu became the Prince of Han (modern Sichuan, Chongqing, and southern Shaanxi). However, Lü, her children, and her father-in-law did not go to the then-remote Principality of Han, but stayed in Liu's home county of Pei (in modern Xuzhou, Jiangsu). This is either because of Han's remoteness or because they were prevented from doing so by Xiang, whose Principality of Western Chu included Pei.

Late in 207 BC, Liu would break out of the isolation that Han was in by attacking the three Qins—three principalities that Xiang had established to prevent Liu from receiving the territories of the former state of Qin. Qin had previously been promised to Liu, which started a four-year war known as the Chu Han Contention. Despite this, however, Xiang initially took no action against Lü or her father-in-law.

In 205 BC, while Xiang was occupied in a separate war against Qi, Liu took the opportunity to attack his capital Pengcheng, capturing it in the summer of 205 BC. Xiang quickly withdrew from the Qi campaign and staged a counter-attack that nearly annihilated Liu's forces and recaptured Pengcheng. In the aftermath, as Liu tried to retreat back to his territory, he went through Pei and tried to take his father, wife, and children with him. However, in the confusion, the family members became separated. Liu was able to take his children back to the safety of his own territory, while his father and his wife Lü were captured by Xiang's forces and held thereafter as hostages, along with Liu's official Shen Yiji, with whom she would later start a romantic relationship.

Near the end of the war, when there was a temporary truce between Liu and Xiang, Xiang transferred Liu Zhijia and Lü to Liu. Lü was then honored with the title Princess of Han. The truce, however, did not last long, as at Zhang Liang and Chen Ping's suggestion, Liu broke the truce and defeated Xiang in 203 BC. Soon thereafter, Liu claimed the title of Emperor of China. He established Princess Lü as his empress, and established their son, Ying, as crown prince.

As empress

Despite Emperor Gao's victory over Xiang, there would still be many unpacified areas of the empire for years, requiring the new emperor to engage in many campaigns thereafter. He put Empress Lü and Crown Prince Ying in charge of the capital Chang'an and key decisions in home territories, assisted by Xiao He and Zhang Liang. It was also during this time that Emperor Gao began to favour one of his younger concubines, Consort Qi, who bore him a son, Ruyi (劉如意), who was established as the Prince of Zhao in 199 BC, displacing Empress Lü's son-in-law (Princess Luyuan's husband) Zhang Ao (張敖). Consort Qi yearned to have her son displace his older half-brother Prince Ying as the heir to the throne, and would often beg Emperor Gao to make her son the crown prince, drawing resentment from Empress Lü.

During this period Empress Lü proved herself to be an able administrator of the home territories, and quickly built a strong working relationship with Emperor Gao's officials, who admired her for her capability and feared her for her ruthlessness. She would, indeed, be most known as an empress for her hand in the deaths of Han Xin and Peng Yue—whose military capabilities both she and her husband had been apprehensive of. In 196 BC, Emperor Gao travelled away from the capital, trying to suppress a rebellion by Chen Xi (陳豨), the Marquess of Yangxia. In this year it was alleged that Han, a friend of Chen's who by then had been demoted to a powerless marquess in Chang'an, had conspired to start a rebellion in the capital. Empress Lü, after consulting with Xiao He, had Xiao He summon Han for a meeting, at which Empress Lü's guards surprised Han, subsequently capturing and executing him and his clan.

Later that year, Peng Yue would suffer the same fate. Emperor Gao had summoned Peng Yue and his forces to join him in the campaign against Chen. Peng Yue, then the Prince of Liang, however, did not do so, claiming illness, and Emperor Gao, angrily sent a messenger to rebuke him. An official of Peng Yue's encouraged him to rebel, but Peng Yue refused to do so. Despite this, Emperor Gao sent troops to arrest Peng Yue and subsequently stripped of his titles. He then exiled Peng Yue to Qingyi (青衣} in modern Ya'an, Sichuan). On Peng Yue's journey to the southwest he encountered Empress Lü. He pleaded with her, claiming his innocence. Empress Lü agreed to intercede on his behalf, and they returned to Luoyang, where Emperor Gao was then, together. Peng Yue thought that Empress Lü was in fact going to beg Emperor Gao for his freedom. Instead, she told Emperor Gao that Peng Yue, being as capable as he was, would create a threat if exiled and Emperor Gao agreed; she then found an informant to falsely report that Peng Yue was about to start a new rebellion. Peng Yue was executed, as was his clan.

Empress Lü's own son, Crown Prince Ying, was in a precarious position, as Emperor Gao, unimpressed by his kind but weak character, continued to consider replacing him with Prince Ruyi. Since officials had a strong rapport with Empress Lü, they generally opposed the move, and Emperor Gao had to abandon it. After he died in 195 BC, Prince Ying succeeded him, acquiring the title Emperor Hui, Empress Lü became the empress dowager.

As empress dowager

Empress Dowager Lü exerted even more influence during the reign of her son than she had as empress. Her first targets were Consort Qi and Prince Ruyi (who by then had gone to his principality of Zhao (state)Zhao, located in modern Hebei) province. She dressed Consort Qi in prisoner clothes and forced her to hard labor—milling rice. She also summoned Prince Ruyi to the capital, intending to kill them together. Prince Ruyi's prime minister Zhou Chang (周昌), whom Empress Dowager Lü respected because of his stern opposition to Emperor Gao's proposal to make Prince Ruyi crown prince, temporarily protected him by refusing to allow him to go to Chang'an. Empress Dowager Lü solved this problem by first inviting Zhou Chang to the capital then, once he left Zhao, summoning Prince Ruyi.

Emperor Hui tried to save Prince Ruyi's life. Before Prince Ruyi could get to the capital, Emperor Hui intercepted his half-brother at Bashang (霸上, in modern Xi'an) and received Prince Ruyi into his palace, and they dined together. Empress Dowager Lü wanted to kill Prince Ruyi, but was afraid that any attempt to do so might also harm her own son, and therefore she could not carry out her plans for several months.

Empress Dowager Lü got her chance in the winter of 195 BC. One morning, Emperor Hui was out hunting and wanted to take Prince Ruyi with him. The young prince was then only 12 years old and refused to get up from bed, and Emperor Hui left for the hunt on his own. Empress Dowager Lü heard this and immediately sent an assassin into the palace to force poisoned wine down the prince's throat. By the time that Emperor Hui returned, the young prince was dead. She then tortured Consort Qi most inhumanely— cutting her limbs off, blinding her, and deafening her. Consort Qi would eventually die from the continued torture. When Emperor Hui saw Consort Qi in a pig's bin blind and without limbs, he cried out loudly and became ill for about a year, complaining to his mother that he felt that he could no longer govern the empire, given that he, as the emperor, could not even protect the concubine and son so loved by his father. From that point on, Emperor Hui indulged himself with wine and women and no longer made key governing decisions, leaving them to his mother.

Emperor Hui would have to protect another sibling of his from Empress Dowager Lü. In winter of 194 BC, when Liu Fei, Prince of Qi—his older brother by Emperor Gao's mistress Consort Cao—made an official visit to the capital, they both attended a feast put on by Empress Dowager Lü. Emperor Hui, honoring the prince as an older brother, invited him to a seat at the table even more honored than his own. The Empress Dowager was greatly offended and instructed her servants to pour a cup of poisoned wine for Prince Fei and then toasted him. As Prince Fei was about to drink the poisoned wine, however, Emperor Hui, realising what was happening, grabbed the cup as if he would drink it himself. Empress Dowager Lü immediately jumped up and slapped at the cup, spilling it. Prince Fei was able to get out of the situation by offering an entire commandery from his principality to Lü's daughter, Princess Luyuan, to serve as her realm. Empress Dowager Lü accepted this peace offering and allowed Prince Fei to return to his principality.

She also starved to death another son of her husband's—Liu You, the Prince of Zhao—whom she felt had slighted his wife, the Princess of Zhao, who was a niece of hers.

In 192 BC, Empress Dowager Lü (who at that point was involved in an affair with Shen) received a most unusual marriage proposal. The Xiongnu ''chanyu'' Modu sent her a letter stating the following, intending to intimidate and mock her:

:''I am a lonesome ruler who was born in the northern wilderness and have grown on plains full of livestock. I often got to your borders and wanted to tour the main territories of Han. You had just lost your husband, and I imagine you cannot endure the loneliness. Since neither of us can gratify ourselves in our loneliness, marry me, and we will exchange what we do not have for what we do have. What do you think?''

Empress Dowager Lü was greatly offended, but could do nothing due to the Xiongnu's military strength. Instead, she sent a letter back describing herself humbly as old and ugly and offered a daughter of an imperial prince to Modu in marriage (as part of the heqin system) to promote peace.

In 191 BC, at Empress Dowager Lü's insistence, Emperor Hui married Princess Luyuan's daughter Zhang Yan—his niece—as empress. The marriage would be a childless one. It was alleged that Empress Dowager Lü told Empress Zhang to take eight boys from others and execute their mothers, and then adopt the children as her own. There is a dispute about whether these children were Emperor Hui's; traditional historians believed that they were not, while modern historians generally believe that they were his sons by his concubines.

In 188 BC, Emperor Hui died. One of the children that Empress Zhang had adopted, Liu Gong, became emperor (as Emperor Qianshao). However, now-Grand Empress Dowager Lü would be the one who actually and formally ruled over the empire, and traditional historians did not even consider Liu Gong a true emperor, often omitting him from the list of Han Dynasty emperors.

As grand empress dowager

Emperor Gao had decreed that no non-imperial clan members could be made princes—a rule that Grand Empress Dowager Lü herself had a hand in creating. In spite of this, Grand Empress Dowager Lü tried to make her kin princes. This was opposed by the right prime minister Wang Ling (王陵) but accepted by the left prime minister Chen Ping and the commander in chief of the armed forces Zhou Bo (周勃). When Wang rebuked Chen and Zhou in private for going against Emperor Gao's rule, they rationalized that their compliance with the grand empress dowager was necessary to protect the empire and the Lius. Grand Empress Dowager Lü then promoted Wang to the honorary position of the emperor's teacher (太傅, taifu); Wang declined and claimed illness. Lü then removed him from the position and had him (as the Marquess of Anguo) returned to his march (in modern Baoding, Hebei) and promoted Chen to right prime minister ("right" being the more honored direction) and her lover Shen Yiji to left prime minister.

She then proceeded to establish her family as princes. Her first step in this was establishing her grandson, and Princess Luyuan's daughter, Zhang Yan (張偃—different intonation than his sister the empress), as the Prince of Lu. In the following years she established these family members as princes:

Lü Tai (呂台), the son of her brother Lü Ze (呂澤), the Prince of Lü (established in 186 BC, died that year)

Lü Chan (呂產), the son of Lü Tai, first as the Prince of Lü (established in 182 BC to replace his brother Lü Jia (呂嘉), the son of Lü Tai, who was regarded as arrogant and wasteful), then as the Prince of Liang (established in 181 BC)

Lü Lu (呂祿), the son of her brother Lü Shizhi (呂釋之), the Prince of Zhao (established in 181 BC)

Lü Tong (呂通), the son of Lü Tai, the Prince of Yan (created 181 BC)

She also, in an unprecedented action, created her sister Lü Xu (呂須) the Marchioness of Lingguang, with a separate march from that of her husband Fan Kuai, in 184 BC.

Around 184 BC, Emperor Qianshao discovered that he was not in fact now-Empress Dowager Zhang's son and that his mother had been put to death. He made the mistake of remarking that when he grew up, Empress Dowager Zhang would pay for this. Grand Empress Dowager Lü, once she heard of this, had him secretly imprisoned within the palace and publicly announced that he was severely ill and unable to receive anyone. After some time, she told the officials that he continued to be ill and incapable of governing, and that he had also suffered a psychosis. She proposed that he be deposed and replaced. The officials complied with her wishes, and he was deposed and put to death. He was succeeded by his brother Liu Yi (劉義), whose name was then changed to Liu Hong (as Emperor Houshao).

Death

In 180 BC, Grand Empress Dowager Lü was making sacrifices to the gods at Bashang. As she was returning to the capital after the sacrifices, she saw something that appeared to be a blue-haired dog attacking her armpit and then suddenly disappearing. A warlock informed her that the object was Prince Ruyi's spirit. She became apprehensive and began to suffer pain in her armpit, which eventually became a major illness. She died later that year.

She was first buried with her husband, but Emperor Guangwu reversed that and Empress Dowager Bo was enshrined in Emperor Gao's temple as "Empress Gao". Therefore, she was demoted into a separate temple.

In the aftermath of her death, the officials would plot against the Lü clan and have Grand Empress Dowager Lü's family members overthrown and executed.

During her regency, members of the Lü clan gradually took over important posts in the government; however, upon her death, officials that previously served under Emperor Gao, including Chen Ping, Zhou Bo and Guan Ying, eliminated the Lü clan and placed Emperor Wen on the throne. In this way, Empress Dowager Lü's devotion to her husband's wishes oddly enough led to her own clan's downfall, as Chen and Zhou were named by her to their posts long after Emperor Gaozu's death pursuant to his instructions on ministerial succession.

Legacy

Empress Lü has been criticized by some past historians for being a power-hungry woman. Despite her reputation for ruthlessness and cruelty (which is probably well-deserved), she appeared to be genuinely devoted to her husband and the safety of the empire—so much so that long after Emperor Gaozu's death, she, then firmly in control, continued to carry out his instructions on the succession of ministers. Despite her cruelty, she was also known as an able administrator, and she, other than the instances of nepotism, generally promoted capable officials. During her regency, therefore, the people of the empire enjoyed a measure of rest from the turmoils of the destruction of Qin Dynasty and the wars of the Chu Han Contention. However, due to her trade embargo against Nanyue, Nanyue made repeated attacks against the Principality of Changsha (modern Hunan) and the Commandery of Nan (modern Hubei).

Emperor Hui's infant sons, Liu Gong and Liu Hong, were installed as her puppets on the throne after Emperor Hui's death in 188 BC. Thus, real power rested in her hands for sixteen years.

Personal information

Father

*Lü Wen (呂文), courtesy name Shuping (叔平), the Magistrate of Shanfu (單夫)

Husband

*Emperor Gaozu of Han

Children

*Princess Luyuan

*Emperor Hui of Han

See also

Chinese history

Lü Clan Disturbance

Emperor Hui of Han's consorts and issue

Notes

Sources

''Records of the Grand Historian'', vols. 8, 9, 49.

''Book of Han'', vols. 1, 2, 3, 97, Part 1.

''Zizhi Tongjian'', vols. 7, 9, 10, 12, 13.

Yap, Joseph P. War With The Xiongnu - A Translation From Zizhi tongjian Chapter 2. AuthorHouse 2009 ISBN 978-1-4490-0605-1.

|- {{s-ttl| title = Empress of Western Han Dynasty | years = 202 BC – 195 BC }} {{s-ttl| title = Empress of China | years = 202 BC – 195 BC }}

Category:3rd-century BC births Category:180 BC deaths Category:Han Dynasty empresses Category:Regents of China Category:Female regents Category:Women leaders of China Category:3rd-century BC women Category:2nd-century BC women Category:2nd-century BC female rulers Category:Chu–Han contention people Category:241 BC births

de:Lü Zhi fr:Lü Zhi ko:고황후 hr:Carica Lü Zhi ja:呂雉 no:Lü Zhi pl:Lü Zhi pt:Lu Hou ru:Люй-хоу sh:Carica Lü Zhi th:จักรพรรดินีลิจื้อ vi:Lã hậu zh-classical:漢高皇后 zh:吕雉

Lu Zhishen, nicknamed "Flowery Monk", or Sagacious Lu (the name his abbot gave him), is a fictional character in the ''Water Margin'', one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He is the lead character in the first major story cycle of the novel, in which he comes to epitomize loyalty, strength, justice but also brashness. He ranks 13th of the 36 Heavenly Spirits of the 108 Liangshan heroes.

One folktale represents him as a sworn brother of Zhou Tong.

Becoming a monk

Lu Zhishen's original name is Lu Da and he is a native of Guanxi. He has a round face, big ears, a straight nose, a squarish mouth and a beard which overshadows his face. He stands at eight ''chi'' and has a wide waist. Lu Da is first introduced as a garrison major in Weizhou (in present-day Gansu) from his first meeting with Shi Jin. While they are having some drinks in an inn, they hear a singer called Jin Cuilian, who is crying over her plight. She has been bullied by a butcher nicknamed "Lord of the West". Lu Da helps Jin Cuilian and her father escape from Weizhou and he confronts the butcher later. He fights with the butcher and kills him with three punches to the head. To avoid arrest, Lu Da flees to the city of Yanmen and by chance runs into Jin Cuilian's father. Jin Cuilian has married to a wealthy squire there, and Lu Da seeks shelter in his manor. The squire later writes a letter to the abbot at Wenshu Monastery on Mount Wutai introducing Lu Da. After Lu Da is accepted and becomes a monk, the abbot gives him the Buddhist name Zhishen, which means "sagacious".

Lu Zhishen does not follow the Buddhist code of abstinence from meat and wine. Once, he causes an uproar in the monastery in a drunken rage by beating up his fellow monks who try to stop him and smashes a statue at the entrance. He earns himself the nickname "Flowery Monk" for the flowery tattoos which adorn his upper body. Lu Zhishen causes trouble again in the monastery after drinking and the abbot decides to send him away as he can no longer tolerate Lu's actions and behavior. Lu Zhishen is sent to the Great Minister's Temple in Dongjing (present-day Kaifeng).

Lu Zhishen wields a monk's spade and a dagger as his weapons. Initially, he told the blacksmith that he wanted a monk's spade weighing 100 ''jin''. The blacksmith remarks that even Guan Yu's guan dao weighs less at 81 ''jin'', so Lu Zhishen wanted his spade to be 81 ''jin'' as well. The blacksmith told him that the spade would not be handy if it is too heavy, so Lu Zhishen eventually agreed to have the spade at 62 ''jin'' instead.

Becoming sworn brothers with Lin Chong

On his journey, Lu Zhishen dissuades the "Little Tyrant" Zhou Tong from marrying Squire Liu's daughter. He meets Shi Jin again and allies with him to kill the evil bandits Cui Daocheng and Qiu Xiaoyi. Upon reaching his destination, Lu Zhishen is placed in charge of maintaining the garden of the temple. He subdues a group of hooligans who often stole vegetables from the garden and earns their admiration and respect. Lu Zhishen performs a superhuman feat by uprooting a willow tree with his brute strength and becomes famous. He meets Lin Chong, the martial arts instructor of the 800,000 strong Imperial Guards, and they become sworn brothers. When Lin Chong is framed and exiled to Cangzhou, Lu Zhishen secretly follows him and protects him from the guards who have been bribed to kill him along the way.

Becoming an outlaw

Later, Lu Zhishen passes by Cross Slope and became fast friends with Sun Erniang and Zhang Qing. He goes to Mount Twin Dragons to seek refuge under Deng Long but is refused. Lu Zhishen, Yang Zhi and Cao Zheng kill Deng Long and seize control of the stronghold and become outlaws. Lu Zhishen joins Liangshan after the battle of Qingzhou (in present-day Shandong).

Lu Zhishen goes to Huazhou to invite Shi Jin to join Liangshan but is arrested together with him and they are held captive in Prefect He's residence. The Liangshan outlaws trick Prefect He and manage to rescue them. Lu Zhishen becomes one of the leaders of the Liangshan infantry after the Grand Assembly in chapter 71. He follows the Liangshan heroes on their campaigns against the invading Liao army and rebel forces after they are granted amnesty by the emperor. He captures Fang La, who was on the run after his army had been completely eradicated by the Liangshan forces.

Death

Lu Zhishen is one of the few survivors from Liangshan after the campaigns, and his unwitting capture of Fang La officially ends the punitive expedition against the rebel leader. Despite Song Jiang's pleas, Lu Zhishen refuses to take up an official post or become ordained as an abbot in some big monastery. He and Wu Song decide to remain at Liuhe Pagoda in Hangzhou, where Song Jiang's army is camped. On their first night in the pagoda, Lu Zhishen is awakened by the sudden crashing of tides on the nearby Qiantang River. He then comes to understand the meaning of the first half of his old abbot's prophecy. The entire prophecy went as follows:

{| |- |''Take Xia when you meet him;'' |逢夏而擒， |- |''Seize La when you encounter him.'' |遇臘而執。 |- |''When you hear the tide, complete the circle;'' |聽潮而圓， |- |''When you see the faithful, enter into silence.'' |見信而寂。 |}

Lu Zhishen, recalling that he has captured both Fang La and his general Xiahou Cheng, now learns that the tide is called "Old Faithful". The monks further relate to him that in Buddhist jargon, the characters for "completing the circle" (圓) "entering into silence" (寂) mean "to die" when combined. Realizing at that moment that his death is imminent, Lu Zhishen bathes and lights fragrant incense. He then composes an ode and calls for Song Jiang. Sitting cross-legged on a tuffet, Lu Zhishen dies before Song Jiang arrives. Song Jiang then picks up Lu Zhishen's ode, which reads:

{| |- |''In my life I never cultivated goodness,'' |平生不修善果， |- |''Relishing only murder and arson.'' |只愛殺人放火。 |- |''Suddenly my golden shackles have been opened;'' |忽地頓開金枷， |- |''Here my jade locks have been pulled asunder.'' |這裡指斷玉鎖。 |- |''Alas! Old Faithful of the Qiantang River has come;'' |咦！錢塘江上潮信來， |- |''Now I finally realize that I am myself!'' |今日方知我是我。 |}

Described as a monk who never read the scriptures and only knew slaughter, Lu Zhishen ends his life as an enlightened Buddha. He is later eulogized and cremated with all the honors befitting one of his accorded status.

See also

List of Water Margin minor characters#Lu Zhishen's story for a list of supporting minor characters from Lu Zhishen's story.

References

Li, Mengxia. ''108 Heroes from the Water Margin'', page 27. EPB Publishers Pte Ltd, 1992. ISBN 9971 0 0252 3.

Category:Fictional Buddhist monks Category:36 Heavenly Spirits

bo:ལུའུ་ཀྲི་ཧྲེན། ko:노지심 ja:魯智深 vi:Lỗ Trí Thâm zh:鲁智深

Name	Sheren Tang
Tradchinesename	鄧萃雯
Simpchinesename	邓萃雯
Pinyinchinesename	Dèng Cuìwén
Jyutpingchinesename	Dang6 Seoi6 Man4
Birth name	Tang Shui Man
Ancestry	Nanhai, Guangdong, China
Origin	Hong Kong
Birth date	March 02, 1966
Birth place	Hong Kong
Othername	Man Girl (雯女), Chairperson (主席)
Yearsactive	1985 - present
Website	http://www.sherentang.cn
Tvbanniversaryawards	}}

Sheren Tang Shui-man is a famous Hong Kong television actress who is known for not signing a long-term contract with TVB, preferring to work on a per-drama contract with the TV station. She is most famous for her roles in the mega-hit TVB drama series like ''War and Beauty'', ''La Femme Desperado'', ''The Family Link'', ''Rosy Business'' and ''No Regrets''. She moved over to rival station ATV in 1996 and returned to TVB in 2000.

Career

In 1985, Tang joined TVB's training classes. Months later, after her graduation, Tang was cast in her first role in The Legend of the General Who Never Was 1985 with Alex Man as his leading lady.

Her acting in ''War and Beauty'' as Yu Fei (如妃) was critically acclaimed, making her a hot favourite for the "Best Actress" award in 2004. However, she did not win, with the award being given to ''Gigi Lai'' instead. Votings were closed the night before the awards ceremony, with Tang leading by a landslide; thus many people concluded that the "Best Actress" award would surely go to her. Tang, instead, went home with the ''My Favourite Powerhouse Actress'' Award (now renamed as ''Best Supporting Actress'' award). This attracted a lot of backlash and anger from the citizens of Hong Kong, which prompted the ''ICAC'' to conduct investigations into the award show. The situation worsened when TVB asked Lai to film ''The Charm Beneath'', which Tang was originally supposed to film with ''Bobby Au-yeung''.

Her role as Hilda (海翹) in ''La Femme Desperado'' in 2006 was once again very well-received by the Hong Kongers, making her the hot favourite for the "Best Actress" award. The award however, went to ''Charmaine Sheh'' for her role in ''Maiden's Vow''.

In 2009, Tang's role as 4th Wife (四奶奶) in ''Rosy Business'' brought her much popularity, making her a hot favourite for the "Best Actress" award once again. However, it was said that TVB pushed back the ''awards'' to December so that Grand Production dramas ''Born Rich'' and ''Beyond the Realm of Conscience'' could be included in the nominations, greatly diminishing Tang's chance of winning the award. It was rumoured that TVB had initially wanted to promote the female lead of ''Beyond the Realm of Conscience'', ''Tavia Yeung'', to become the Best Actress. However, Yeung has openly rejected TVB's offer, saying that if Tang did not get the "Best Actress" award, she would join the rest of the netizens to protest against TVB's decision.

However, this time round, with TVB producer ''Catherine Tsang'' backing her, Tang was duly awarded her "Best Actress" award, much to the joy of Hong Kong citizens, whereby there was a petition signed by them for TVB to award Tang her long-overdue "Best Actress" award, failing which they will hold protests outside TVB City.

At the 2010 TVB Anniversary Awards which was held on 5th December 2010, thanks to her brilliant performance as Cheng Gau-Mui (鄭九妹) in the highly-acclaimed indirect sequel to Rosy Business, ''No Regrets'', Tang was once again seen as the hot favourite for the "Best Actress" award. Due to strong backing from the netizens, Tang was once again awarded the coveted "Best Actress" award, making her the first actress in Hong Kong to win this top award consecutively.

To date, Tang remains the only TV actress in Hong Kong who has starred in 6 TVB dramas, in which she was the lead actress, that has reached the 40-point mark. 3 of these dramas, namely ''War and Beauty'', ''La Femme Desperado'' and ''Rosy Business'' have been awarded the "Best Drama" award at the ''TVB Anniversary Awards''.

Tang is the first person to have been awarded TVB Best Actress for two consecutive years.

Filmography

TVB series ''The Legend of the General Who Never Was'' ''New Heavenly Sword and Dragon Sabre'' ''The Greenhorns'' ''The In-Between'' ''The Vixen's Tale'' ''The Enforcer's Experience'' ''On the Edge (TV series) ''Once Upon a Time in Hong Kong'' ''Zhan Zhao: The Southern Hero'' ''The Intangible Truth'' ''Sharp Shooters'' ''Screen Play'' ''Good Against Evil'' ''The Threat of Love II'' ''War and Beauty'' ''[[The Prince's Shadow'' ''La Femme Desperado'' ''[[The Family Link">TVB Anniversary Award for Best Actress ''[[The Family Link'' ''Your Class or Mine'' ''Rosy Business'' ''[[No Regrets (TV series)

		!Title	!Role	!TVB Anniversary Awards
rowspan="3">1985	|	Liu Kam-fa
''The Possessed''
''Happy Spirit''	Yeung Hoi-yee
rowspan="3"	1986	|	Zhou Zhiruo>Chow Chi-Yeuk
''Brothers Under the Skin''	Ling Choi-yue
''The Legend of Wong Tai Sin''
rowspan="2"	1987	|
''Police Cadet 1988''
rowspan="2"	1988	|
''Twilight of a Nation''	Hon Bo-Ying
rowspan="5"	1989	|
''The Sword and the Sabre''
''I Do, I Do''	Lily
''The War Heros''
''Hap Hak Hang''	Ding Dang
rowspan="2"	1990	|
''Friends and Lovers''
1991	On the Edge'' ||	Wong Kwun-yin
1992	|	Pang Hon
1993	|
rowspan="3"	1994	|	Ma Kit
''Fate of the Clairvoyant''	Tong Mun-Yung
''Filthy Rich''
rowspan="2"	1995	|	Poon Wai-yan
''Files of Justice IV''	Yin Chi-Kit (Joyce)
rowspan="2"	2000	''The Threat of Love''
''Healing Hands II''	Tsui Ka-wing
rowspan="2"	2001	|	Koi Jing-ying
''Country Spirit''	Koo Yiu
2002	|	Lau Siu-tao
rowspan="2"	2003	|	Ding Yue-ying/Chu Sau-ping/Mei/<	Fong Yee-lei/Tung Sin-tung/Cheung Fan	TVB Anniversary Award for Best Supporting Actress>Best Supporting Actress
''Aqua Heroes''	Sui Kin Yee
2004	|	The Imperial Noble Consort Gong Shun>Niu-hu-lu Ru-yue	TVB Anniversary Award for Best Supporting Actress
2005	|	So Sam
2006	|	Hoi Kiu	Nominated - 2007
rowspan="2">2007	|	Mung Ka-Ka	Nominated - TVB Anniversary Award for Best Actress
''[[The Drive of Life''	Wang Siu-Fun
2008	|	Yim Ka-Lai	TVB Anniversary Award for Best Actress>Best Actress (Top 10)
2009	|	Hong Po-Kei (4th Wife)	TVB Anniversary Award for Best Actress
2010	No Regrets'' ||	Cheng Kau-Mui (Miss Kau)
!Year	!Title	!Role
rowspan="2"	1996	I Have a Date with Spring">TVB Anniversary Award for Best Actress

ATV series

!Year	!Title	!Role
rowspan="2"	1996	I Have a Date with Spring''
''The Good Old Days''	Cheung Man-fung/Chung Sum-ming
1997	''Interpol''

Other series

		!Title	!Role
1997	''The Mystery Cases of Master Shi''
2003	''Eternity: A Chinese Ghost Story''
2005	''Huiniang Wanxin''
2008	''Rose Martial World''
rowspan="2">2011	Princess Pearl Season 1'' >
''City of Falling Snow''	Bai Yu-qin

Albums

Main themes

I Have A Date With Spring (1995)

Awards and achievements

1991 Next Magazine Award - Top 10 TV Dramas (8th position/又是冤家又聚頭)

1995 Next Magazine Award - Top 10 TV Dramas (1st position/Fate of the Clairvoyant)

1996 Next Magazine Award - Top 10 TV Dramas (10th position/廉政英雌)

1997 Next Magazine Award - Top 10 TV Dramas (10th position/再見艷陽天)

2003 TVB Anniversary Award - Best Supporting Actress (Loving You II a.k.a The Threat of Love II)

2004 TVG Anniversary Award - Best Support Actress (War and Beauty)

2004 TVB Anniversary Award - My Favourite Character (Yu Fei in War and Beauty)

2004 TVB Anniversary Award - Best Drama (War and Beauty)

2004 Yahoo! "Most Popular Actress" award

2004 My Favourite TV Character (voted by artistes/War and Beauty)

2004 Mingpao Weekly "Acting Award 2004" - Best Actress

2004 娱乐满天星 - Most Popular Actress

2004 Metro Radio - Best Classic Character (Grand Prize)

2004 Radio Television Hong Kong - Most Outstanding Actress

2004 Xin Lang (Hong Kong) - Top 10 Outstanding People (4th position)

2005 Next Magazine Award - Top 10 Artistes (1st position)

2005 Next Magazine Award - Top 10 TV dramas (1st position/War and Beauty)

2005 Astro TV Award - My Favourite Character (Yu Fei in War and Beauty)

2005 Astro TV Award - My Favourite Drama (War and Beauty)

2005 Astro TV Award - Most Unforgettable Scene (Yu Fei crying pitifully after her princess died in War and Beauty)

2005 FarmX Teen Power B-Day Party - Most Popular TV Personality Prize

2006 Annual Golden TVS Award - Best Actress 《青城之恋》 (Mainland China drama)

2006 TVB Anniversary Award - Best Drama (La Femme Desperado)

2006 Hong Kong TV Award - Most Outstanding Artiste

2007 Astro TV Award - Most Unforgettable Scene (Hilda was shocked and sad when she found out Ling betrayed her in La Femme Desperado)

2007 Astro TV Award - My Favourite Character (Hilda in La Femme Desperado)

2007 Next Magazine Award - Top 10 Dramas (5th position/La Femme Desperado)

2007 Metro Radio - Best Newsworthy TV Queen

2008 Next Magazine Award - Top 10 Dramas (3rd position/The Drive of Life)

2009 Next Magazine Award - Top 10 Dramas (7th position/The Family Link)

2009 Mingpao Weekly "Acting Award 2009" - Best Actress

2009 TVB Anniversary Award - Best Drama (Rosy Business)

2009 TVB Anniversary Award - Best Actress (Rosy Business)

2009 YAHOO! - "Most Popular Actress" Award

2009 YAHOO! - "Most Popular Drama" Award (Rosy Business)

2009 腾讯网星光大典 - Most Popular Female Artiste

2009 腾讯网星光大典 - Most Popular Drama (Rosy Business)

2009 My Favourite TV Character (voted by artistes/Rosy Business)

2009 Best Actress (voted by artistes/Rosy Business)

2010 Next Magazine Award - Top 10 Artistes (1st position)

2010 Next Magazine Award - Top 10 Dramas (2nd position/Rosy Business)

2010 My Favourite TV Character (voted by artistes/No Regrets)

2010 Best Actress (voted by artistes/No Regrets)

2010 Eileen Cha's Netizens' Choice - Best Actress

2010 Eileen Cha's Netizens' Choice - Best Drama (No Regrets)

2010 TVB Anniversary Award - Best Actress (No Regrets)

References

External links

Sheren Tang's Official Sina blog

|- ! colspan="3" style="background: #DAA520;" | TVB Anniversary Awards |- |- ! colspan="3" style="background: #DAA520;" | Power Academy Awards |-

Category:1966 births Category:Hong Kong television actors Category:TVB actors Category:Living people

ms:Sheren Tang zh:鄧萃雯