XI'AN - Although Wu Huifei was only a concubine of Tang Xuanzong (AD 685-762), the sixth emperor of the Tang Dynasty, her influence was far greater than most in her position.

Historians say that the ruler loved her so much that, in AD 724, he banished his wife and made Wu a royal concubine.

"Although she was only a concubine, she was treated as an empress with palace etiquette," explained Shi Xiaoqun, director of relics collection for Shaanxi History Museum. "Tang Xuanzong even wanted to make her his empress but was opposed by the ministers."