Wu Zetian (624–705) was the only female emperor ( huangdi) generally accepted as legitimate and orthodox in Chinese history. She was also an established poet, writer, and calligrapher. Benefitting from her position and power, she offered women professional positions and thus enabled them to advance their writing careers and play an important role in politics. Her literary accomplishments deserve further investigation and can be regarded as a testament to the talents of a group of women. Reminding us of women’s agency and autonomy in a society dominated by Confucianism, which advocated wifely and motherly duties, household chores, seclusion, and obedience in the female role, these successes (re)present women’s power, no matter how we understand and define this term.