Biography.guide
Home › People › Calligrapher › Empress Wang Shen'ai
Portrait of Empress Wang Shen'ai

Empress Wang Shen'ai

384 – 412

Jin Dynasty empress

Don't just read it — keep itBiographies to ownE-book · Audio · Video From $7 →

About Empress Wang Shen'ai

Lived 384 – 412 (aged 27–28). Empress Wang Shen'ai was a Chinese calligrapher.

Empress Wang Shen'ai (; ; ), formally Empress Anxi (, literally "the peaceful and careful empress") was an empress of the Eastern Jin. Her husband was the developmentally disabled Emperor An.

Life Wang Shen'ai was the daughter of the official Wang Xianzhi, the son of the famed official and calligrapher Wang Xizhi. Her mother Princess Xin'an was the daughter of Emperor Jianwen, making her and her husband cousins. In 396, while Emperor An was still crown prince under his father Emperor Xiaowu, they married, and she became crown princess. She was 12, and he was 14. As he was described to be so developmentally disabled that he could not speak or dress himself, or express whether he was full or hungry, it was unlikely that their marriage was consummated; in any case, they had no children. Later that year, after Emperor Xiaowu was killed by his concubine Honoured Lady Zhang for humiliating her, Emperor An became emperor. On 3 May 397, she was created empress.

Very little is known about Empress Wang's life as empress. In 403, after Emperor An's throne was usurped by the warlord Huan Xuan, she was effectively put under house arrest with her husband. In 404, after Liu Yu started a rebellion to reestablish Jin, Huan Xuan had her and her husband transported west with him after he resolved to flee west from the capital Jiankang, but on the way, Huan Xuan's brother-in-law Yin Zhongwen (殷仲文) rebelled against him and transported her and Emperor Mu's empress He Fani back to Jiankang. Later that year, after Huan Xuan was killed and Emperor An was seized back from Huan Xuan's nephew Huan Zhen (桓振), he was reunited with her. She died in October 412 and was buried with honors due an empress on 26 October at Xiuping Mausoleum; Emperor An was also buried there after his death in January 419.

Biography shop

Don’t just read it —
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop — from $7

Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free

Important facts

Born
384
Birth century
Died
412
Occupation
Nationality

People in Empress Wang Shen'ai's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Empress Wang Shen'ai's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Empress Wang Shen'ai?

Jin Dynasty empress

When was Empress Wang Shen'ai born?

Empress Wang Shen'ai was born in 384.

When did Empress Wang Shen'ai die?

Empress Wang Shen'ai died in 412.

What was Empress Wang Shen'ai's occupation?

Empress Wang Shen'ai was a calligrapher.

What nationality was Empress Wang Shen'ai?

Empress Wang Shen'ai was Chinese.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Empress Wang Shen'ai

· Wikidata: Q2194004

· DBpedia: Wang Shen'ai

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Empress Wang Shen'ai. https://biography.guide/empress-wang-shen-ai/

MLA: "Empress Wang Shen'ai." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/empress-wang-shen-ai/.

Chicago: "Empress Wang Shen'ai." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/empress-wang-shen-ai/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Page generated 2026-09-27 05:26 UTC