Lü Zhi (241–180 BC), courtesy name Exu , commonly known as Empress Lü and Empress Dowager Lü , or formally Empress Gao of Han , was the empress consort of Emperor Gaozu, the founder and first ruler of the Han Dynasty. They had two known children, Liu Ying (later Emperor Hui of Han) and Princess Yuan of Lu. Lü Zhi was the first woman to assume the title Empress of China. After Emperor Gaozu's death, she was honoured as Empress Dowager and later as Grand Empress Dowager (太皇太后) during the short reigns of Emperor Hui and his successors Liu Gong (Emperor Qianshao) and Liu Hong (Emperor Houshao).