After 34 years as the emperor, the Tang Emperor Gaozong has passed away. In the 9th month of 690 CE, with the bells ringing, and the drums beating and the thundering applause of the subjects, Mei-niang, then Empress Wu Ze-tian,  finally ascends the throne to be the Empress in her own name. She is until now the first and only woman ruler in China that adopts the title “Huang-di”, a title translated as emperor and used by all the leaders in China throughout the imperial times.