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Ban Chao

Eastern Han officer who threw down his copyist's brush for the army and spent thirty-one years bringing the Western Regions under Han control, ending as protector-general and Marquis of Dingyuan

Also known as Zi Zhongsheng

Ban Chao, courtesy name Zhongsheng, was the youngest son of Ban Biao and brother of the historian Ban Gu. Working as a government copyist, he once threw down his brush and vowed to win merit abroad like Fu Jiezi and Zhang Qian. In 73 he joined Dou Gu's campaign against the northern Xiongnu; sent on to the Western Regions, at Shanshan he led a night attack on a Xiongnu embassy, saying that one cannot catch tiger cubs without entering the tiger's den; Khotan, Kashgar and others then submitted. He became protector-general in 91, subdued Karashahr in 94, and was made Marquis of Dingyuan the next year. In 97 he sent Gan Ying toward Rome; Gan Ying turned back at the sea in Tiaozhi. After thirty-one years in the west he begged to be allowed home alive through the Jade Gate; with his sister Ban Zhao's support he returned in 102 and died a month later. The idiom 'throwing down the brush to join the army' comes from his story.

Life and times

  1. 32 CEBornHan
  2. 73Ban Chao Securing Western RegionsTook partage 41Ban Chao campaigned and negotiated across the Western Regions; after operations against Yanqi, Weixu, and Weili in 94 CE, more than fifty states acknowledged Han authority.
    1. Ban Chao Secures ShanshanIn 73 Ban Chao and thirty-six followers struck the Xiongnu mission at night, securing Shanshan for the Han in the Western Regions.
    2. Ban Chao Secures KhotanIn 73 Ban Chao removed the pro-Xiongnu faction at Khotan and aligned the kingdom with Han operations in the Western Regions.
    3. Ban Chao Pacifies the Western RegionsBan Chao abandoned bureaucratic clerical work to lead 36 warriors west, pacifying over fifty kingdoms and reopening the Silk Road.
    4. 5 more
      1. Ban Chao Restores King of Shule74age 42In 74 Ban Chao entered Shule, removed a Kucha-backed ruler, and restored its king, widening the Han position in the Western Regions.
      2. Ban Chao Returns to Hold Shule76age 44In 76 Ban Chao answered a recall but returned at the request of Shule and Khotan to preserve the Han alliance in the Western Regions.
      3. Ban Chao Leads Allies Against Gumo78age 46In 78 Ban Chao assembled troops from Shule, Khotan, and other states to attack Gumo in the Western Regions.
      4. Ban Chao Repels the Kushan Army90age 58In 90 a Kushan army crossed the Pamirs into the Western Regions, but Ban Chao forced it to withdraw by defense and interdiction.
      5. Ban Chao Subdues Yanqi and Weili94age 62In 94 Ban Chao led allied forces against Yanqi, Weixu, and Weili, restoring Han protectorate authority in the Western Regions.
  3. 102 CEDied

Works

  1. Literature · Sayings3
    1. The Northern Horse Leans Toward the Home WindHanIdiom from Ban Chao's plea to come home: an old general longing like a northern horse
    2. The Dying Fox Turns Its Head to Its Home HillHanIdiom in Ban Chao's petition to come home: the fox that dies facing its native hill
    3. To Pass the Jade Gate Alive: Ban Chao's PleaHanFamous line from Ban Chao's petition: an old envoy's wish to come home alive
  2. Literature · Prose1
    1. Memorial Asking to Be Relieved and ReturnHanBan Chao's plea to Emperor He after thirty years in the Western Regions to be allowed home

Family tree

  1. Direct kin
    Ban Biao
    Father
    Ban ZhaoYounger sister
    Ban GuElder brother
    Ban Chao
  2. Other kin1
    1. Ban JieyuGreat-aunt · c. 48 BCE - c. 2 …

Connections

  1. Shared events1
    1. Emperor Ming of Han28 CE–75 CE