【摘要】Unlike their Han Chinese counterparts who were mainly sequestered to the inner quarters, many imperial Khitan women of the Liao 遼 (907–1125) were not only active in state aff airs, but they even rode astride and led their own armies to fi ght on battlefi eld. Th is article aims to investigate the lives and political careers of Empress Dowagers Yingtian and Chengtian, who ruled the empire as de facto sovereigns on behalf of their husbands and sons for over fi ft y years, by focusing particularly on how they proved themselves as capable horsewomen and what strategies have they employed in order to gain access to power and to accomplish their ambitions. Such warrior women, exercising leadership and exhibiting personal bravery, drew their strength from their Inner Asian steppe traditions and therefore established themselves as another type of queenship in Chinese history.

【关键词】Khitan, Liao dynasty, empress dowager, female regents, gender roles, China.

【来源】《Acta Orientalia Hung》2020年第4期

附件：（林航《Acta Orientalia Hung》2020（4）- Empress Dowagers on Horseback Yingtian and Chengtian of the Khitan Liao (907–1125)