Empress Jia Nanfeng

Empress Jia Nanfeng (257–300 A.D.)

1. Rise to Power: 

Sima Yan, convinced Cao Huan to abdicate in his favor and then founded the Jin Dynasty in 266 CE, taking the throne name of Emperor Wu of Jin. 
Thirteen Emperors Scroll, Boston Museum of Fine Arts
Accession Number 31.643

Painted here is  Emperor Wu from the Sima Clan founded the Jin Dynasty and was the father of Emperor Hui or Sima Zhong, husband to Jia Nanfeng. During the Three Kingdoms period in China, dynasties’ relied on a powerful male bloodline and military prowess to expand and keep its borders. Emperor Wu wanted to find a daughter from a powerful family with a history of producing sons so that the Sima Clan’s bloodline will continue. Despite the Wei family being the popular choice due to their large number of sons, Emperor Wu’s wife  Yangzhi, a close friend of Jia Nan Feng’s mother convinced him to give the Jia family a chance.  Emperor Wu selected his duke and longtime friend, Jia Chong’s youngest daughter Jia Wu to marry his son but her older sister Jia Nan Feng took her place because she could fit the wedding attire. As the king was becoming aware of his son’s mental handicaps, he issued an edict that allowed his son’s decrees to be written, she was barely able to speak coherent sentences in court. Jia Nan Feng quickly displayed her great intelligence and strategic ability by writing for him, deceiving the court into thinking her husband was a capable and powerful ruler. After Emperor Wu’s death, her first act was to dispose of Empress Yangzhi, her father whom she declared regent and her clan, despite Empress Yangzhi being the reason she was Empress. The aftermath of Emperor Wu allowing Jia Nan Feng to marry Emperor Hui had devastating effects for the Sima Clan and left behind a trail of bloodshed, deception, and treachery. 

2. Power Accomplishments: 

Funerary Urn. 265–316 A.D. Stoneware with olive green glaze (Yue ware). 1992.165.21.

This funerary urn is dated and from the same time period that Jia Nan Feng had just begun having power. It is known that death followed her secret reign, so a Jin Dynasty an elaborate funeral urn seemed appropriate to symbolize her reign. Under her husband’s name, Jia Nan Feng wrote an edict accusing the empress Dowager YangZhi and her father, the regent, Yang Jun of treason, causing a small skirmish to arise. Jia Nan Feng recruited the prince of Chu, the young 21-year-old Sima Wei, the younger brother of her husband, Emperor Hui to take down Yang Jun. Sima Wei was eager to prove himself and bring his extensive knowledge of military strategy and torture devices to end this threat. The Yang clan’s troops were easily wiped out, Yang Jun himself was executed along with members of his clan and the Empress Dowager was starved to death.

 Afterward, she orchestrated the execution of Sima Liang, an elder of the Sima Clan and co-regent. She had a deep grudge for his refusal to get involved in her plot against Yang Jun. She used Sima Wei to carry out an edict to execute Sima Liang and his co-regent Wei Guan for treason. Wei Guan’s daughter was her competition to be the bride of Emperor Hui long ago, and it is a grudge she still held. She betrayed Sima Wei by declaring he had falsified the edict and committed treason. Sima Wei was promptly executed and Jia Nan Feng eliminated all potential usurpers. She used to murder and manipulation to clear the way for her rule to be unchallenged, which it remained so for eight years. This funerary urn symbolizes her power to send others to death and doing so in an elaborate and brilliantly evil way.

3. Cultural Memories of the Dead: 

 Jin Dynasty Warrior. 2006-05-03 [16.22.18]; 2006-03-16 [17.24.03].
Museum in Stockholm.

This statue is from the Jin Dynasty Tomb and it is a figurine of a Jin Dynasty Warrior. I feel like it summarizes Jia Nan Feng’s legacy because she used so many soldiers for her own benefit. She eventually betrays to many people and it backfires, ultimately leading to her downfall. Sima Lun, a member of the Sima Clan that the Empress trusted advised her to murder her stepson, which turned the people and the court against her. She was forced to commit suicide by poisoned wine. She was given a dignified death compared to the deaths she sent her conspirators too. Possibly because she was a woman. She used soldiers as a display of her power, using disposable human lives as a way to cement her status. However, she still acted behind her mentally ill husband. This is a common theme of patriarchal society as she could never wield power in her name only.

However, unlike other famous empresses, such as Lady Fuhao, she wasn’t given a tomb or any sacrificial victims. She is remembered as someone who used countless lives for her own personal game. This is itself speaks of her power, regardless of whether she is portrayed in a negative or positive light.  She is remembered by Chinese historians as an evil woman who was everything a Chinese empress shouldn’t be. She is known for being a murderer, a liar, and a conspirator, all of which is true. However, if she was a man, she would be deemed a great military strategist, a powerful lady, and be described in a more positive manner. Despite the atrocities she committed, her military and strategic skill must also be considered into how she is remembered. 

by Caitlin Farmer