Ministers › Diplomat / Envoy
Wang Zhaojun
Palace lady of Emperor Yuan of Han who was married to the Xiongnu chanyu Huhanye in 33 BC and stayed among the Xiongnu after his death
Mural of the event “Wang Zhaojun's Journey Beyond the Passes”, which this person took part in.
In the late Western Han, Huhanye Chanyu maintained relations with the Han court. In 33 BCE, Emperor Yuan arranged Wang Zhaojun's marriage to him as a significant diplomatic act.
2 works
Also known as Wang Qiang · Ming Fei
- Roles
- Diplomat / Envoy
Wang Zhaojun, personal name Qiang, came from Nan commandery and entered the harem of Emperor Yuan of Han as a girl of good family. When the Xiongnu chanyu Huhanye came to court in 33 BC and asked to become a Han son-in-law, the emperor gave her to him; she was styled Ninghu Yanzhi and bore a son, Yitu Zhiyashi. The History of the Later Han says she had waited years without being summoned and volunteered to go, and that the emperor, seeing her at the farewell, wished to keep her but would not break his word. After Huhanye died she asked to return, but Emperor Cheng ordered her to follow Xiongnu custom, and she married his successor, bearing two daughters. The tale of the painter Mao Yanshou spoiling her portrait comes from the Miscellanies of the Western Capital, not the histories. The Jin renamed her Mingjun to avoid Sima Zhao's name, and Du Fu wrote of the village where she grew up.
Life and times
- UnknownBorn
Hanwent to the Xiongnu in 33 BCE - 33 BCEWang Zhaojun's Journey Beyond the Passes
Took partIn 33 BCE, Wang Zhaojun departed Chang'an for a Han–Xiongnu marriage alliance, a diplomatic union associated with decades of relative peace and exchange.- Wang Zhaojun Departs Chang'anIn 33 BCE, Wang Zhaojun departed Chang'an and traveled beyond the passes for a Han–Xiongnu marriage alliance.
- Zhaojun's Party Travels North via YanmenIn 33 BCE, Wang Zhaojun's party traveled north via Yanmen Pass on the documented Han–Xiongnu marriage-alliance route.
- Wang Zhaojun Reaches the Northern Steppe32 BCEIn 32 BCE, Wang Zhaojun reached the northern steppe, became Ninghu Yanzhi, and completed the Han–Xiongnu marriage-alliance journey.
- Wang Zhaojun Departs Chang'an
- UnknownDied
Works
Literature · Poetry1- Song of Lament (Zhaojun's Lament)HanQin song traditionally ascribed to Wang Zhaojun on leaving the Han court to marry north
- Literature · Sayings1
- Autumn Trees Thick, Their Leaves Turning Yellow: Wang Zhaojun's LamentHanFamous line from the lament attributed to Wang Zhaojun: autumn trees and a bird far from home
Connections
- Rulers and officials1
