Costumes

Wu Zetian

Wu Zetian (624-705) was the only woman to ever rule as Empress of China. We show three depictions of her above: on the left is an antique portrait, on the right is a photo of an actress in a ...

Xi Wang Mu

Xi Wang Mu, the "Queen Mother of the West," is the fairy goddess of Chinese lore. She lives in a jewel-encrusted palace on a solid gold mountain far to the west, where she is attended by jade ...

Zenobia

Zenobia (240–274?) was the great Syrian queen of Palmyra who built a desert empire, conquered Egypt, and briefly gave the Romans a run for their money. She lost in the end, alas, and was paraded ...