For most of Chinese history, emperors ruled over the largest populated country on earth, with their power and might knowing few limits.

However, one ruler, in particular, stands out from the rest of their counterparts, namely because she was a woman.

Wu Zetian is an interesting figure in Chinese culture, being the only female Emperor of China to rule in her own right.

For centuries, she has often been depicted as a cunning tyrant, willing to commit heinous atrocities to secure her power.

However, recent historical discoveries suggest that these depictions may not be completely based on reality.

Wu’s first foray into the palace began when the 14-year-old entered the court in 637AD as a concubine to Emperor Taizong of the Tang dynasty.

By all accounts, she was a beautiful woman who had just as much charm as she had wit and unsurprisingly became a court favourite.

When Taizong died, she became a concubine to his sickly son, Gaozong, who made her his empress in 655.

Given her husband’s condition, she established herself as the power behind the throne, cementing herself as ruler of China after his death in 690.

She would rule for nearly half a century, and under her watchful reign, the empire blossomed into a golden age of prosperity.

Before and after her reign, the role of women in Chinese society was highly restricted, with women not being afforded the same freedoms and privileges as men.

But historical evidence suggests that during Wu’s reign, the societal status of women was elevated, with more opportunities and freedom provided to women.

Women entrepreneurship was encouraged and for the first time, Chinese women were allowed to marry and divorce freely.

Astonishingly, China’s only female prime minister, Shangguan Wan’er, served during Wu Zetian’s reign.

In addition, Wu understood the importance of international trade in building the country’s wealth, and as such, established economic and diplomatic ties with countries far beyond China’s borders.

A beautiful headdress recovered from a tomb dating back to Wu’s reign was found to be made from jewels from India, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka and Iran, suggesting strong trade links.

Life under the Empress’ reign was a rich one, with arts and culture reaching their zenith, and at the time, China was probably the wealthiest empire in the world.

This contradicted the claim of later historians who attempted to frame the time as being something of a dystopic nightmare.

A respected international leader of her time, Wu received diplomatic missions from countries as far away as Rome and Greece.

The imperial city of Chang’an was home to nearly two million people, with a substantial expatriate community living in the bustling multicultural metropolis.

At the time, Chinese silk was one of the most valuable commodities in global trade and the Silk Road was the network linking China to foreign markets.

Banditry was unsurprisingly common on these long stretches of roads, but Wu put a stop to the menace by establishing military outposts far into Central Asia.

It only made sense for a great ruler to be housed in a great palace, and the Daming Palace would be Wu’s seat of power for most of her reign.

Daming Palace was the largest palace in the world, built in a span of three years and five times bigger than the Forbidden City in Beijing, likely astounding visiting foreign dignitaries.

Aside from trade and diplomacy, Wu was also a shrewd political player, as she understood that she needed to secure the people’s loyalty.

And as it happened, she knew just how to do so.

Buddhism was the common faith of the people and she appealed to their piety by funding and building temples and pagodas.

She also commissioned a 17m high statue of the Buddha to be placed at the sacred site of the Longmen Caves, with its face supposedly modelled after hers.

Aside from religion, she heavily invested in infrastructure, establishing giant granaries that could safely store excess harvest for many years, in case of crop failures.

In an unprecedented move, she also allowed commoners to participate in government, provided they pass a series of civil examinations.

While her legacy has largely been tainted by later patriarchal court historians, there is some truth behind the claims of her ruthlessness.

It has been found that she was not above getting rid of political opponents through lethal means, even if they were her own kin.

She did seem to grow a conscience as she grew older, however, performing a religious ritual in 700, where she confessed her sins and asked for divine forgiveness.

Whether or not she actually believed what she said, it was a visible ceremonial move nonetheless.

Death finally came for her in 705, with the deceased 81-year-old being incapable of defending herself against the subsequent mudslinging campaign against her legacy.

Whether she was a cruel tyrant or an intelligent politician, it remains indisputable that she had broken through patriarchal traditions and left the empire in a state of peace and prosperity.

One could argue that she did what she had to do to stay competitive in a ruthless political scene and that failing to do so would have resulted in a quick end.

She showed that a woman could lead in a world dominated by men, and that is perhaps, the most important lesson that girls and women can learn today.