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Women of 1000

New Illustration: Miaoshan and Daojian

Published 4 months ago • 1 min read

Recommended listening: Chan Ding (Buddhist Meditation): Li Xiangting​

Miaoshan and Daojian

What was life like for nuns in the highest echelon of society in Song Dynasty China? An inscription from a long-lost pagoda gives us a glimpse into the lives of two such nuns, Miaoshan and Daojian. Miaoshan went through great trials in her path to become a nun, spending much of her early life as a concubine after her parents were killed in war. Her fortunes changed again and brought her into the inner circle of imperial women. She trained her protege Daojian to be an able administrator and follower of Chan Buddhism. This is a good one to read for the upcoming Year of the Horse!

In other Women of 1000 news...

2026 Calendar Available

The 2026 wall calendar is still available for purchase on Lulu.com! Meet a different historical woman each month with the Women of 1000 calendar. This year, we've got a few throwbacks to the first calendar mixed in with the most recent illustrations. It makes a great gift for the history lover in your life! If you haven't got a wall calendar yet for 2026, give it a look.

Sneak Peek of Tapling Zine

I am one of the artists selected to produce an original work of queer historical art for Tapling Zines' project We've Always Been Here. My scene is set in Ecuador's La Tolita culture (350 BC - 400 AD). There are amazing figurines showing female couples in the same poses that are used to show heterosexual couples, so I'm taking that as my inspiration to draw some lesbians! Below is a sneak preview of my illustration. Keep an eye out for the Kickstarter launching in March!

Black History Month

In the United States and Canada, February is Black History Month. There are lots of interesting Black women whose stories you can explore on the Women of 1000 website. The Africa section is a good place to start, but you will also find Black women in Europe and Asia, like the Parishioner of North Elmham!

Coming Up Next

I've been researching Parasceve, a Byzantine woman who travelled to the Holy Land and lived as a nun in the Jordan desert. She may be the only woman in my project so far who is venerated as a saint. Today her cult is centred around Romania, but she never visited there in her lifetime. I will be drawing her on a momentous sea voyage she took between Palestine and Byzantium.

Thanks for reading, and see you next time!

Women of 1000

HI, I'm Meg! I'm the artist and researcher behind Women of 1000. When you subscribe to my newsletter, you will get stories in your inbox around once a month about women who lived in the year 1000, each one highlighted by an original illustration.

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