Empress Xiao Yanyan Xiao Yanyan ( 萧燕燕 ) ( 953 – 1009 ) was a Khitan empress of imperial China ' s Liao Dynasty . Her Chinese name was Xiao Chuo ( 萧綽 ) . She married Emperor Jingzong of Liao . At his death in 982 , she became regent for her son Emperor Shengzong . She was formally referred to as Empress Dowager Chengtian ( 承天皇太后 ) . She commanded her own army of 10 , 000 cavalry which she stayed at the head of until she was over the age of sixty . Song Dynasty troops attacked the Liao in 986 , but they were pushed back and later defeated in 989 . She was known for her great skills in civil administration and retained great influence until her death . Early life . Xiao Chuo was the 3rd child of Xiao Siwen ( 萧思溫 ) , Liao ' s . She was said to be beautiful , intelligent and mature since she was a child . At a young age , she distinguished herself from her sisters by being very thorough sweeping the floors . Impressed , her father chose her to marry the new Emperor Jingzong as a consort . Soon afterward , she was given the title of empress ; she later gave birth to Emperor Shengzong . She came from the Xiao Imperial consort clan , who traditionally supplied wives to the Liao Khitan royal family , the Yelu clan . The Xiao clan was of Turkic Uighur origin who were Kitanized and they intermarried with the Khitan Yelu clan . This Xiao consort clan was totally unrelated to ethnic Chinese who had the Xiao surname . Reign as Empress Dowager . After Emperor Jingzong died , Empress Dowager Chengtian took power at age 30 in 982 , serving as a regent for her 12 year old son . She effectively ruled Liao until her death . At 30 years of age , she was young for an Empress Dowager who were typically middle aged women unlike her . Chengtian controlled Liao policy in military strategy and negotiations during the whole Liao - Song War . The Khitan adopted the practice of using eunuchs from the Chinese and the eunuchs were non - Khitan prisoners of war . Empress Dowager Chengtian personally led the Liao Khitan army in campaigns against the Song Chinese during their invasion of Liao in 986 and defeated them in battle , fighting the retreating Chinese army . She then ordered the castration of around 100 ethnic Chinese boys she had captured in China , supplementing the Khitan ' s supply of eunuchs to serve at her court , among them was Wang Ji ' en . The boys were all under ten years old and were selected for their good looks . Wang Ji ' en ( Wang Chi - en ) fl . 983 was one of those Chinese boy eunuchs who were captured and subjected to castration by the Khitan because of him being good looking . He came from Dizhou ( Tichou ) which is in modern day Shandong . Wang was appointed to the palace domestic service and he was fluent in Khitan . The History of Liao 遼史 described and praised Empress Chengtian ' s capture and mass castration of Chinese boys in a biography on the Chinese eunuch Wang Ji ' en . 《 遼史 · 卷一百九 · 列傳第三十九 》 < br > ◎宦官○王繼恩趙安仁 < br > 《 周禮 》 ， 寺人掌中門之禁 。 至巷伯詩列於 《 雅 》 ， 勃貂功著於晉 ， 雖忠於所事 ， 而非其職矣 。 漢 、 唐中世 ， 竊權蠹政 ， 有不忍言者 ， 是皆寵遇之過 。 遼宦者二人 ， 其賢不肖皆可為後世鑒 ， 故傳焉 。 < br > 王繼恩 ， 棣州人 。 睿智皇後南征 ， 繼恩被俘 。 初 ， 皇後以公私所獲十歲已下兒容貌可觀者近百人 ， 載赴涼陘 ， 並使閹為豎 ， 繼恩在焉 。 聰慧 ， 通書及遼語 。 擢內謁者 、 內侍左廂押班 。 聖宗親政 ， 累遷尚衣庫使 、 左承宣 、 監門衛大將軍 、 靈州觀察使 、 內庫都提點 。 繼恩好清談 ， 不喜權利 ， 每得賜賚 ， 市書至萬卷 ， 載以自隨 ， 誦讀不倦 。 每宋使來聘 ， 繼恩多充宣賜使 。 後不知所終 。 < br > 趙安仁 ， 字小喜 ， 深州樂壽人 ， 自幼被俘 。 統和中 ， 為黃門令 、 秦晉國王府祗候 。 王薨 ， 授內侍省押班 、 禦院通進 。 開泰八年 ， 與李勝哥謀奔南土 ， 為遊兵所擒 。 初 ， 仁德皇後與欽哀有隙 ， 欽哀密令安仁伺皇後動靜 ， 無不知者 。 仁德皇後威權既重 ， 安仁懼禍 ， 復謀亡歸 。 仁德欲誅之 ， 欽哀以言營救 。 聖宗曰 ： 「 小喜言父母兄弟俱在南朝 ， 每一念 ， 神魂隕越 。 今為思親 ， 冒死而亡 ， 亦孝子用心 ， 實可憐憫 。 」 赦之 。 重熙初 ， 欽哀攝政 ， 欲廢帝 ， 立少子重元 。 帝與安仁謀 ， 遷太後慶州守陵 ， 授安仁左承宣 、 監門衛大將軍 ， 充契丹漢人渤海內侍都知 ， 兼都提點 。 會上思太後 ， 親馭奉迎 ， 太後責曰 ： 」 汝負萬死 ， 我嘗營救 。 不望汝報 ， 何為離間我母子耶 ！ 」 安仁無答 。 後不知所終 。 < br > 論曰 ： 名器所以礪天下 ， 非賢而有功則不可授 ， 況宦者乎 ！ 繼恩為內謁者 ， 安仁為黃門令 ， 似矣 ， 何至溺於私愛 ， 而授以觀察使 、 大將軍耶 ？ 《 易 》 曰 ： 「 負且乘 ， 致寇至 。 」 此安仁所以不克有終 ， 繼恩幸而免歟 ？ < br > Incomplete translation : The Eunuchs Wang Ji ' en and Zhao Anren < br > Wang Ji ' en , a native of Dizhou 棣州 . Empress Ruizhi ( Chengtian ) led a punitive expedition to the south [ against the Song ] . [ Wang ] Ji ' en was taken by her as a prisoner of war . The Empress , for the public and private interests , captured nearly one hundred good looking ( handsome ) [ Chinese ] boys under ten years of age , took them to Liangxing 涼陘 , and had them castrated , Ji ' en was among them . He was intelligent , literate , and fluent in the Liao ( Khitan ) language . < br > The Khitan were a nomadic Mongolic people and originally did not have eunuchs as part of their culture before the Liao . When the Khitan founded the Liao Dynasty they developed a harem system with concubines and wives , which required eunuchs . The eunuchs were not Khitan and they came from two sources , all of their eunuchs were captured ethnic Chinese from the Central Plains . The Khitan captured Chinese people who were already eunuchs at the Jin court when they invaded of the Later Jin Dynasty . Another source was during their war with the Chinese Song dynasty , the Khitan would raid China , capture Han Chinese boys as prisoners of war and emasculate them to become eunuchs . The emasculation of captured Chinese boys guaranteed a continuous supply of eunuchs to serve in the Liao Dynasty harem . The Empress Dowager Chengtian played a large role in the raids to capture and emasculate the boys . According to the " History of the Khitan Kingdom " and Song accounts , Empress Dowager Chengtian also openly had a love affair with a Han Chinese , Han Derang ( Han Te - jang ) 韓德讓 who served as a minister in the Liao court , and was rumoured to have a son with him , but the History of Liao contradicts these accounts . The Song ambassadors to Liao claimed that Han and Chengtian were originally betrothed to each other before she was " stolen " and married to the Khitan Emperor Jingzong . Han Derang came from a Han Chinese family surnamed Han 韓 , who were close to the Khitan royal family and served the Liao from the time of Abaoji ' s reign . The Khitan had abducted the Han clan from Jizhou and despite being Han Chinese , they were thoroughly Kitanized culturally and linguistically and served the Liao Khitan loyally in military and political positions along with several other Han Chinese elite families who were Kitanized . The loyalty of the Han Chinese population of the Liao to the Liao Khitan rulers frustrated the Song Chinese . Khitan women from the Imperial consort clan were given to the men of the Chinese Han family for marriage . Although accounts of the love affair may have been Song propaganda at smearing her name , Han Derang was favored by Chengtian and " became the most powerful individual in the Liao empire " , and he fought for the Liao against the Song Chinese in battle . Han Chinese previously were governed by Chinese Tang dynasty law while the Khitan were governed by Khitan custmary law , Chengtian abolished this difference and judged all Liao subjects according to Chinese law . Chengtian arranged for captured Chinese military officers like Wang Jizhong , who were skilled and knowledgeable to serve the Liao government as officials . Modern References . A 1995 Chinese movie " Great Liao ' s Empress Dowager " ( 大遼太后 ) produced by Liaoning Film Studio stars Mu Qing as Xiao Yanyan . She is also portrayed as an antagonist in many " Generals of the Yang Family " adaptations , as well as one in the 2009 Korean television series " Empress Cheonchu " ( 천추태후 / 千秋太后 ) .