Ban Zhao (; 45 or 49 – c. 117/120 CE),

courtesy name A courtesy name ( zh, s=字, p=zì, l=character), also known as a style name, is an additional name bestowed upon individuals at adulthood, complementing their given name. This tradition is prevalent in the East Asian cultural sphere, particula ...

Huiban (), was a Chinese historian, philosopher, and politician. She was the first known female Chinese historian and, along with Pamphile of Epidaurus, one of the first known female historians. She completed her brother

Ban Gu Ban Gu (AD32–92) was a Chinese historian, poet, and politician best known for his part in compiling the ''Book of Han'', the second of China's 24 dynastic histories. He also wrote a number of '' fu'', a major literary form, part prose ...

's work on the history of the

Western Han The Han dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC) and a warring int ...

, the ''

Book of Han The ''Book of Han'' is a history of China finished in 111 CE, covering the Western, or Former Han dynasty from the first emperor in 206 BCE to the fall of Wang Mang in 23 CE. The work was composed by Ban Gu (32–92 CE), ...

''. She also wrote ''

Lessons for Women ''Lessons for Women'' (), also translated as ''Admonitions for Women'', ''Women's Precepts'', or ''Warnings for Women'', is a work by the Han dynasty female intellectual Ban Zhao (45/49–117/120 CE). As one of the '' Four Books for Women'', ''L ...

'', an influential work on women's conduct. She also had great interest in astronomy and mathematics and wrote poems, commemorative writings, argumentations, commentaries, essays and several longer works, not all of which survive. She became China's most famous female scholar and an instructor of

Taoist sexual practices Taoist sexual practices ( zh, s=房中术, t=房中術, p=fángzhōngshù, l=arts of the bedchamber, first=t) are the ways Taoists may practice sexual activity. These practices are also known as "joining energy" or "the joining of the essences". ...

for the imperial family. Ban Zhao is depicted in the

Wu Shuang Pu ''Wu Shuang Pu'' () is a book of woodcut prints, first printed in 1694, early on in the Qing dynasty. This book contains the biographies and imagined portraits of 40 notable heroes and heroines from the Han dynasty to the Song dynasty, all ac ...

(無雙譜, Table of Peerless Heroes) by Jin Guliang.

Family

Ban Zhao was born in Anling, near modern

Xianyang Xianyang ( zh, s=咸阳 , p=Xiányáng) is a prefecture-level city in central Shaanxi province, situated on the Wei River a few kilometers upstream (west) from the provincial capital of Xi'an. Once the capital of the Qin dynasty, it is now int ...

Shaanxi Shaanxi is a Provinces of China, province in north Northwestern China. It borders the province-level divisions of Inner Mongolia to the north; Shanxi and Henan to the east; Hubei, Chongqing, and Sichuan to the south; and Gansu and Ningxia to t ...

province. At age fourteen, she married a local resident named Cao Shishu and was called in the court by the name as Venerable Madame Cao (). Her husband died when she was still young. She never remarried, instead devoting her life to scholarship. She was the daughter of the famous historian

Ban Biao Ban Biao (, 3–54 CE), courtesy name (), was a Chinese historian and politician born in what is now Xianyang, Shaanxi during the Han dynasty. He was the nephew of Consort Ban, a famous poet and concubine to Emperor Cheng. Ban Biao's mother w ...

and younger sister of the general

Ban Chao Ban Chao (; 32–102 CE), courtesy name Zhongsheng, was a Chinese diplomat, explorer, and military general of the Eastern Han dynasty. He was born in Fufeng (region), Fufeng, now Xianyang, Shaanxi. Three of his family members—father Ban Biao, ...

and of historian

. She was also the grandniece of the notable scholar and poet

Consort Ban Consort Ban (), or Ban Jieyu (), also known as Lady Ban (Pan), was a imperial consort, Chinese scholar and Classical Chinese poetry, poet during the Western Han dynasty (206 BCE – 23 CE). Imperial Chinese harem system#Western Han, '' Jieyu'' (� ...

Work

Ban Zhao contributed greatly to the completion and transmission of ''

Hanshu The ''Book of Han'' is a history of China finished in 111 CE, covering the Western, or Former Han dynasty from the first emperor in 206 BCE to the fall of Wang Mang in 23 CE. The work was composed by Ban Gu (32–92 CE), ...

'' (漢書, literally the "Book of the

ormer Abalone ( or ; via Spanish , from Rumsen ''aulón'') is a common name for any small to very large marine gastropod mollusc in the family Haliotidae, which once contained six genera but now contains only one genus, ''Haliotis''. Other commo ...

Han"), the official dynastic history of the

. After Ban Gu was imprisoned and died in 92 because of his association with the family of Empress Dowager Dou, Ban Zhao helped finish the work by making up for the missing part of the ''Babiao'' (八表 Eight Tables). She added the genealogy of the mother of the emperor, providing much information which was not usually kept. Later, Ma Xu added a treatise on

astronomy Astronomy is a natural science that studies celestial objects and the phenomena that occur in the cosmos. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and their overall evolution. Objects of interest includ ...

(), making ''Hanshu'' a complete work. Ban Zhao also wrote the ''

''. This treatise on the education of women was dedicated to the daughters in Ban Zhao's family but was circulated immediately at court. It was popular for centuries in China as a guide for women's conduct. Some modern interpretations of ''

'' claim that it is a founding text of Confucian feminism. One study asserts that it establishes a "different concept of agency ... forged out of the powerlessness of individual women, which is familial, communal, indirect, and conferred by others." Others, however, have argued that Ban Zhao's assertions of the value of a woman's mediocrity and servile behavior in ''Lessons for Women'' are incompatible with feminism and that attempts to present her as a feminist are misplaced. Since her text presents a woman's main task as submission to a husband or father and dismisses the significance of women's intelligence or talent, this has been seen as a Confucian endorsement of injustice against women. She taught

Empress Deng Sui Deng Sui ( zh, t=鄧綏; 81 – 17 April 121), formally Empress Hexi ( zh, t=和熹皇后, links=no, l=moderate and pacifying empress), was an empress of the Eastern Han dynasty through her marriage to Emperor He of Han, and later its '' de fact ...

and members of the court in the royal library, which gained her political influence. The Empress and concubines gave her the title ''Gifted one'' and the empress made her a

Lady-in-waiting A lady-in-waiting (alternatively written lady in waiting) or court lady is a female personal assistant at a Royal court, court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking nobility, noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was o ...

. As the Empress became regent for the infant

Emperor Shang of Han Emperor Shang of Han (; late October or early November 105 – 21 September 106) was an infant emperor of the Chinese Han dynasty and the fifth emperor of the Eastern Han. Born Liu Long, the infant was placed on the throne by the Empress Dowager ...

, she often sought the advice of Ban Zhao. In gratitude, the Empress gave both Ban Zhao's sons appointments as officials. Ban Zhao was also a librarian at court, supervising the editorial labors of a staff of assistants and training other scholars in her work. In this capacity, she rearranged and enlarged the ''Biographies of Eminent Women'' by Liu Xiang. It is possible that she supervised the copying of manuscripts from

bamboo slips Bamboo and wooden strips ( zh, s=简牍, t=簡牘, first=t, p=jiǎndú) are long, narrow strips of wood or bamboo, each typically holding a single column of several dozen brush-written characters. They were the main media for writing documents ...

and silk onto a recently invented material, paper. In 113, Ban Zhao's son Cao Cheng () was appointed an official in

Chenliu Commandery Chenliu () is a town situated in Kaifeng County, Kaifeng in the province of Henan, China. See also *List of township-level divisions of Henan This is a list of township-level divisions of the province of Henan, People's Republic of China (PR ...

. Ban accompanied him to Chenliu and wrote about the journey in ''Dong Zheng Fu'' (, which has survived. After her death, her daughter-in-law, née Ding, gathered her works in the three-volume ''Collected Works of Ban Zhao'', but most have been lost.

Legacy

Ban Zhao crater on

Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is often called Earth's "twin" or "sister" planet for having almost the same size and mass, and the closest orbit to Earth's. While both are rocky planets, Venus has an atmosphere much thicker ...

is named after her.

Family

( 班彪; 3-54; father) **

(

班固 Ban Gu (AD32–92) was a Chinese historian, poet, and politician best known for his part in compiling the ''Book of Han'', the second of China's 24 dynastic histories. He also wrote a number of '' fu'', a major literary form, part prose ...

; 32–92; eldest brother) **

( 班超; 32–102; second brother) *** Ban Xiong ( 班雄; ?-after 107; Ban Chao's eldest son) *** Ban Shi ( 班始; ?-130; Ban Chao's second son) ***

Ban Yong Ban Yong (, died CE), courtesy name Yiliao (宜僚), was the youngest son of the famous Chinese General, Ban Chao, and the nephew of the illustrious historian, Ban Gu, who compiled the ''Book of Han'', the dynastic history of the Former Han dyna ...

( 班勇; ?-after 127; Ban Chao's youngest son)

Notes

References

* * * * * * Zhao, Ban. "Excerpts From Admonitions for Women".

External links

Information on Ban Zhao and her family
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ban, Zhao 49 births 120 deaths 1st-century Chinese historians 1st-century Chinese philosophers 1st-century Chinese women writers 2nd-century Chinese people 2nd-century Chinese philosophers 2nd-century Chinese women writers 2nd-century Chinese writers Chinese ladies-in-waiting Chinese women philosophers Han dynasty government officials Historians from Shaanxi Philosophers from Shaanxi Politicians from Xianyang Chinese women historians Writers from Xianyang 2nd-century Chinese women 1st-century Chinese women