Han Ji (died 10 April 238),

courtesy name A courtesy name (), also known as a style name, is a name bestowed upon one at adulthood in addition to one's given name. This practice is a tradition in the East Asian cultural sphere, including China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.Ulrich Theob ...

Gongzhi, was a Chinese politician who served in the state of

Cao Wei Wei ( Hanzi: 魏; pinyin: ''Wèi'' < Middle Chinese: *''ŋjwei^C'' <

Three Kingdoms The Three Kingdoms () from 220 to 280 AD was the tripartite division of China among the dynastic states of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu. The Three Kingdoms period was preceded by the Eastern Han dynasty and was followed by the West ...

period of China. He previously served under the warlords

Liu Biao Liu Biao () () (151 – September 208), courtesy name Jingsheng, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He is best known for serving as the Governor of Jing Province (coveri ...

and Cao Cao during the late Eastern Han dynasty.

Early life

Han Ji was from Duyang County (),

Nanyang Commandery Nanyang Commandery ( zh, 南陽郡) was a Chinese commandery that existed from the Warring States period to Tang dynasty. It was centered in present-day Nanyang, Henan. History Nanyang Commandery was established by Qin in the 35th year of King Z ...

(), which is present-day

Fangcheng County Fangcheng () is a county in the east of Nanyang City's administrative area, in the southwest of Henan Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as ...

Henan Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is al ...

. His ancestor was Han Xin (a.k.a. King Xin of Han), one of the rulers of the

Eighteen Kingdoms The historiographical term "Eighteen Kingdoms" ( zh, t=十八國), also translated to as "Eighteen States", refers to the eighteen '' fengjian'' states in China created by military leader Xiang Yu in 206 BCE, after the collapse of the Qin dynasty. ...

in the transition from the

Qin dynasty The Qin dynasty ( ; zh, c=秦朝, p=Qín cháo, w=), or Ch'in dynasty in Wade–Giles romanization ( zh, c=, p=, w=Ch'in ch'ao), was the first dynasty of Imperial China. Named for its heartland in Qin state (modern Gansu and Shaanxi), ...

to the

Western Han dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a war ...

. His grandfather Han Shu () and father Han Chun () served as the Administrators () of Hedong Commandery (河東郡; around present-day

Yuncheng Yuncheng is the southernmost prefecture-level city in Shanxi province, People's Republic of China. It borders Linfen and Jincheng municipalities to the north and east, and Henan (Luoyang and Jiyuan to the east, Sanmenxia to the south) and Shaan ...

, Shanxi) and

Nan Commandery Nan Commandery ( zh, 南郡, "Southern Commandery") was a Chinese commandery that existed from the Warring States period to Tang dynasty. Its territories covered present-day central and western Hubei province, as well as parts of Chongqing. The seat ...

(南郡; around present-day

Jingzhou Jingzhou () is a prefecture-level city in southern Hubei province, China, located on the banks of the Yangtze River. Its total residential population was 5,231,180 based on the 2020 census, 1,068,291 of whom resided in the built-up (''or metro' ...

Hubei Hubei (; ; alternately Hupeh) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, and is part of the Central China region. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Dongting Lake. The ...

) respectively in the Eastern Han dynasty. When Han Ji was still young, Chen Mao (), a wealthy and influential man also from Duyang County, framed his father and elder brother(s) for committing capital offences. Han Ji's father and brother(s) were arrested and executed as a result. Han Ji remained silent over the injustice suffered by his family while secretly plotting to take revenge against Chen Mao. He found employment, saved up his earnings, and used the money to hire assassins to assist him in taking revenge. They tracked down Chen Mao, killed him, cut off his head and placed it as an offering at the tomb of Han Ji's father. Han Ji became famous after this incident. Han Ji was later nominated as a ''

xiaolian Xiaolian (; literally "filial and incorrupt"), was the standard of nominating civil officers started by Emperor Wu of Han in 134 BC. It lasted until its replacement by the imperial examination system during the Sui Dynasty. In Confucian philosophy ...

'' (civil service candidate) and offered a job in the office of the Minister of Works, but he rejected the offer. When chaos broke out throughout China in the 180s, he adopted a fake identity and went to live in the countryside of Luyang County (魯陽縣; present-day

Lushan County, Henan Lushan County () is a county in Pingdingshan, in southwest-central Henan Province, China, with a population of 830,000. This county is known for housing the Spring Temple Buddha, a giant statue of Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonl ...

). During this time, when he heard that the villagers were planning to become bandits because life was getting too hard for them, he used his personal wealth to host a feast for the village leaders and managed to convince them to abandon their plan to become bandits. Sometime between 189 and 192, when the warlord

Yuan Shu Yuan Shu () (died July or August 199), courtesy name Gonglu, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty. He rose to prominence following the collapse of the Han central government in 189 ...

controlled Nanyang Commandery, he heard of Han Ji and summoned Han Ji to serve under him. Han Ji refused and went into hiding in the hills near Shandu County (山都縣; northwest of present-day

Xiangyang Xiangyang is a prefecture-level city in northwestern Hubei province, China and the second largest city in Hubei by population. It was known as Xiangfan from 1950 to 2010. The Han River runs through Xiangyang's centre and divides the city no ...

) to avoid Yuan Shu. When

, the Governor of Jing Province (covering present-day Hubei and

Hunan Hunan (, ; ) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the South Central China region. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi ...

) tried to recruit him as a subordinate, Han Ji fled further south to Chanling County (孱陵縣; west of present-day

Gong'an County Gong'an County () is a county in southern Hubei province, People's Republic of China, bordering Hunan to the south. It is under the administration of Jingzhou City. History During the Han dynasty and the Three Kingdoms era, Gong'an County was k ...

, Hubei) to evade Liu Biao. He soon became a popular and respected figure among the locals; Liu Biao was very resentful when he heard about it. Han Ji, fearing that Liu Biao would retaliate against him, reluctantly agreed to serve under Liu Biao, who appointed him as the Chief () of Yicheng County (宜城縣; in present-day Xiangyang, Hubei).

Service under Cao Cao

Following Liu Biao's death in 208, his younger son and successor Liu Cong surrendered and relinquished his governorship of Jing Province to the warlord Cao Cao, who controlled the figurehead

Emperor Xian Emperor Xian of Han (2 April 181 – 21 April 234), personal name Liu Xie (劉協), courtesy name Bohe, was the 14th and last emperor of the Eastern Han dynasty in China. He reigned from 28 September 189 until 11 December 220. Liu Xie was a so ...

and Han central government. Cao Cao recruited Han Ji to serve in the office of the Imperial Chancellor (), the position he held, and later promoted him to serve as the Administrator () of Laoling Commandery (樂陵郡; around present-day

Yangxin County, Shandong Yangxin County () is a county of northwestern Shandong province, People's Republic of China. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Binzhou. It covers . The population in 1999 was . Administrative divisions As 2012, this C ...

). Han Ji was subsequently reassigned to be an Internuncio () in charge of the

cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron– carbon alloys with a carbon content more than 2%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloy constituents affect its color when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impur ...

industry. In older times, the

bellows A bellows or pair of bellows is a device constructed to furnish a strong blast of air. The simplest type consists of a flexible bag comprising a pair of rigid boards with handles joined by flexible leather sides enclosing an approximately airtig ...

of every blast furnace was operated by 100

draught horse A draft horse (US), draught horse (UK) or dray horse (from the Old English ''dragan'' meaning "to draw or haul"; compare Dutch ''dragen'' and German ''tragen'' meaning "to carry" and Danish ''drage'' meaning "to draw" or "to fare"), less oft ...

s. Later, the industry switched to using

manual labour Manual labour (in Commonwealth English, manual labor in American English) or manual work is physical work done by humans, in contrast to labour by machines and working animals. It is most literally work done with the hands (the word ''manual ...

. When Han Ji took charge of the industry, he saw that manual labour was too inefficient and required too much manpower. He then introduced the use of hydraulic power to operate the bellows, a method devised by

Du Shi Du Shi (, d. 38'' Book of Later Han'', vol. 31Crespigny, 183.) was a Chinese hydrologist, inventor, mechanical engineer, metallurgist, and politician of the Eastern Han Dynasty. Du Shi is credited with being the first to apply hydraulic power ( ...

in the early Eastern Han dynasty. After the changes, the amount of cast iron produced by the industry increased by three times as compared to before. Han Ji supervised the cast iron industry for seven years and performed well in office as the production levels of cast iron remained high, thus ensuring that Cao Cao's army had a steady supply of weapons and equipment. The Han imperial court issued an edict to praise Han Ji for his excellent performance and promote him to the position of Commandant for Metals (), placing him just below the

Nine Ministers The Nine Ministers or Nine Chamberlains () was the collective name for nine high officials in the imperial government of the Han dynasty (206 BC–220 AD), who each headed one of the Nine Courts and were subordinates to the Three Councillors of ...

in the Han bureaucratic hierarchy.

Service in Wei

In late 220, Cao Cao's son and successor,

Cao Pi Cao Pi () ( – 29 June 226), courtesy name Zihuan, was the first emperor of the state of Cao Wei in the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was the second son of Cao Cao, a warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty, but the eldest ...

, usurped the throne from

, ended the Eastern Han dynasty, and established the state of

Cao Wei Wei ( Hanzi: 魏; pinyin: ''Wèi'' < Middle Chinese: *''ŋjwei^C'' <

Minister of Ceremonies (), changed his peerage from "Marquis of Yicheng Village" to "Marquis of Nanxiang Village" () and awarded him a marquisate of 200 taxable households. Around the time, as Cao Pi had only recently designated

Luoyang Luoyang is a city located in the confluence area of Luo River and Yellow River in the west of Henan province. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the southeast, Nanyang ...

as the imperial capital of Wei, there were many imperial ceremonies, customs, rituals and protocol-related matters which had yet to be finalised. Besides, the ancestral temple of the Cao family was still in Ye (in present-day Handan,

Hebei Hebei or , (; alternately Hopeh) is a northern province of China. Hebei is China's sixth most populous province, with over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. The province is 96% Han Chinese, 3% Manchu, 0.8% Hui, and 0 ...

), the capital of the former vassal Kingdom of Wei during the Eastern Han dynasty. After assuming office as Minister of Ceremonies, Han Ji wrote a memorial urging the central government to construct a new ancestral temple in Luoyang and relocate the

ancestral tablet A spirit tablet, memorial tablet, or ancestral tablet, is a placard used to designate the seat of a deity or past ancestor as well as to enclose it. The name of the deity or past ancestor is usually inscribed onto the tablet. With origins in tr ...

s from Ye to Luoyang, so that the emperor and his subjects could properly pay respects to their ancestors. Throughout his eight-year-long tenure as Minister of Ceremonies, Han Ji came up with a new set of ceremonies, customs, rituals and protocol for the Cao Wei state, and abolished old practices from the Han dynasty which were no longer relevant. He retired in 234 due to poor health and was given an honorary position as a Palace Counsellor (). On 12 February 238, during the reign of Cao Pi's successor

Cao Rui Cao Rui () (204 or 206 – 22 January 239), courtesy name Yuanzhong, was the second emperor of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period. His parentage is in dispute: his mother, Lady Zhen, was Yuan Xi's wife, but she later rem ...

, the imperial court issued an edict which read: "Palace Counsellor Han Ji has bathed himself in virtue and conducted himself with integrity and honesty. Although he is already over 80 years old, he still commits himself firmly to upholding righteousness and moral principles. This is what it means to become more principled and more faithful as one grows older. He is hereby conferred the appointment of

Minister over the Masses Situ was one of the highest ranking government offices in ancient China. Established in the Western Zhou dynasty, it was originally written as (), meaning Administrator of Land. During the Han dynasty, the title became written with the different c ...

Death

Han Ji died on 10 April 238. Before his death, he said that he wanted to have a simple funeral: to be dressed in the clothes he normally wore when he was still alive; to be a simple grave with nothing but soil covering his coffin; to be buried with simple funeral artefacts made of earthenware. He also wrote a memorial to the imperial court to convey his wishes for a simple funeral, even though he knew that according to custom he would be accorded a more elaborate funeral because of his ministerial appointment. After reading Han Ji's memorial,

praised him for his humility and gave an order for Han Ji to be given the simple funeral in accordance with his final wishes. He also awarded Han Ji a set of funeral artefacts, a set of court robes, and a ceremonial sword made of jade, in addition to honouring him with the

posthumous title A posthumous name is an honorary name given mostly to the notable dead in East Asian culture. It is predominantly practiced in East Asian countries such as China, Korea, Vietnam, Japan, and Thailand. Reflecting on the person's accomplishments o ...

"Marquis Gong" ().

Descendants

Han Ji's first son, Han Zhao (), inherited his father's peerage and became the next Marquis of Nanxiang Village (). When he died, the peerage was passed on to his son, Han Bang (), whose

was Changlin (). Han Bang was known for being studious and talented since young. During the reign of Emperor Wu in the Jin dynasty, Han Bang served as the Prefect () of Yewang County (野王縣; present-day Qinyang,

). After showing good performance in office, he was promoted to be the Administrator () of Xincheng Commandery (新城郡; around present-day

Fang County Fang County or Fangxian () is a county of northwestern Hubei province, People's Republic of China. It is under the administration of Shiyan City. The county spans an area of , and has a population of 390,991 as of 2010. History During the Sprin ...

). However, he was executed by Emperor Wu after the emperor learnt that he abused his authority by illegally helping his former subordinates from Yewang County get promoted to higher positions in Xincheng Commandery. Han Ji's second son, Han Yao (), served as the Administrator of Gaoyang Commandery (高陽郡; around present-day

Gaoyang County Gaoyang County () is a county in the central part of Hebei province, People's Republic of China. It is under the jurisdiction of the prefecture-level city of Baoding and has an area of . The county seat is in Gaoyang Town (). Administrative divi ...

). Han Yao's son, Han Hong (), served in the Imperial Censorate. Han Hong's son, Han Shou (), had the

Dezhen (). Like his great-grandfather Han Ji, Han Shou was known for conducting himself with virtue and integrity. He was appointed as a Regular Mounted Attendant () after Emperor Hui of the Jin dynasty came to the throne, and was subsequently promoted to the position of

Intendant of Henan Henan Commandery ( zh, 河南郡) was a commandery in China from Han dynasty to Tang dynasty, located in modern northern Henan province. During the reign of King Xuanhui of Han, Sanchuan Commandery (三川郡) was established. It was named Sanchu ...

(). After he died of illness, the Jin government posthumously awarded him the appointment of General of Agile Cavalry (). Han Shou married one of Jia Chong's daughters and had a son, Han Mi (), with her. As Jia Chong died without any sons to succeed him, his peerage was passed on to Han Mi, his maternal grandson. Han Mi was appointed as a Palace Attendant () by the Jin government as soon as he reached adulthood, and was known for being arrogant but more talented than his father Han Shou. Han Shou had another son, Han Wei (), who also had quite a reputation in the Jin government. Han Wei was executed by the prince

Sima Lun Sima Lun ( sim. ch. 司马伦, trad. ch. 司馬倫, py. Sīmǎ Lún, wg. Ssu-ma Lun) (before 250 - poisoned June 5, 301), courtesy name Ziyi (子彛), was titled the Prince of Zhao (pinyin: zhào wáng, simplified Chinese: 赵王, tradition ...

, probably during the

War of the Eight Princes The War of the Eight Princes, Rebellion of the Eight Kings, or Rebellion of the Eight Princes () was a series of civil wars among kings/princes (Chinese: ''wáng'' 王) of the Chinese Jin dynasty from 291 to 306 AD. The key point of contention in ...

. With Han Wei's death, Han Ji's family line came to an end.(少子蔚，亦有器望，並為趙王倫所誅。韓氏遂滅。) ''Jin Zhugong Zan'' annotation in ''Sanguozhi'' vol. 24.

Notes

References

* Chen, Shou (3rd century). '' Records of the Three Kingdoms'' (''Sanguozhi''). * * Pei, Songzhi (5th century). '' Annotations to Records of the Three Kingdoms'' (''Sanguozhi zhu''). * {{DEFAULTSORT:Han, Ji Year of birth unknown 238 deaths Cao Wei politicians Han dynasty politicians from Henan Officials under Cao Cao Politicians from Nanyang, Henan Political office-holders in Henan Political office-holders in Hubei Political office-holders in Shandong