Ban Zhao (49?-120? CE) was the daughter of Ban Biao, a well-known historian and Confucianist of the time.¹ Ban Zhao studied history and Confucianist texts at an early age. She also gained a good knowledge of astronomy and geography, growing up to become the pre-eminent scholar of the day.² At the age of 14, Ban Zhao married Cao Shishu and came to be known as Cao Dagu ('dagu' was a term of address for highly-educated women of stature at that time).³ Their marriage was a happy one, but Cao Shishu died young, leaving Ban Zhao with their son.⁴

In 92 CE, General Dou Xian launched a failed revolt against the Emperor.⁴ Ban Zhao's eldest brother Ban Gu, being one of Dou Xian's subordinates, was arrested and later died in prison.⁵ Ban Gu left behind the unfinished The Book of Han.⁶The Book of Han was a seminal work intended to cover the complete history of the Western Han era. Ban Zhao's brother had spent more than twenty years of his life on it.⁷

The Emperor commissioned Ban Zhao to finish her brother's uncompleted work.⁸ Taking up her duties in the imperial library, Ban Zhao completed China's first dynastic history book - a massive work divided into many volumes.⁹The Book of Han became a hot seller as scholars rushed to get a copy of the Ban siblings' highly acclaimed work. The most popular volumes - Catalogue of Official Ranks and The Almanac - were purely Ban Zhao's contributions but Ban Zhao insisted that her dead brother alone should be credited as the author.¹⁰

The Book of Han contained many ancient words and was difficult to read even for the average scholar of that time. Ban Zhao's lectures on The Book of Han in the imperial library of Dongguan were very well-attended.¹¹ Ma Rong, key intellectual and imperial scholar, was among those kneeling outside Dongguan Library seeking Ban Zhao's instruction.¹²

Emperor He of Han also invited Ban Zhao to the palace to instruct the women of the imperial court on history and Confucianist philosophy. When Emperor He passed away in 105 CE, the crown prince was still a child. Empress Dowager Deng became the de-facto ruler of China. Ban Zhao, in her position as Professor, served as a consultant to Empress Dowager Deng, taking a public role in the politics of the Imperial Court.¹³ In addition to being an authority on history, Ban Zhao was a notable poet and essayist. The Emperor had commissioned many poems from Ban Zhao, but only a few of Ban Zhao's poems have survived to the present time.¹⁴

X.T.

Notes

1. Nu Jie - Ban Zhao (Chinese article)
2. Nu Jie - Ban Zhao (Chinese article)
3. Wonder Woman of Eastern Han - Historian Ban Zhao (Chinese article)
4. Wonder Woman of Eastern Han - Historian Ban Zhao (Chinese article)
   Nu Jie - Ban Zhao (Chinese article)
5. Dou Xian (Chinese article)
6. Ban Gu (Chinese article)
7. Library of Ancient Verse - a selection of Ban Zhao's works (Chinese article)
8. Wonder Woman of Eastern Han - Historian Ban Zhao (Chinese article)
9. Library of Ancient Verse - a selection of Ban Zhao's works (Chinese article)
10. Wonder Woman of Eastern Han - Historian Ban Zhao (Chinese article)
11. The Greatest Lady Scholar of an Era - Ban Zhao (Chinese article)
12. Wonder Woman of Eastern Han - Historian Ban Zhao (Chinese article)
13. The Greatest Lady Scholar of an Era - Ban Zhao (Chinese article)
14. Wonder Woman of Eastern Han - Historian Ban Zhao (Chinese article)
    Library of Ancient Verse - a selection of Ban Zhao's works (Chinese article)
15. Wonder Woman of Eastern Han - Historian Ban Zhao (Chinese article)
    Library of Ancient Verse - a selection of Ban Zhao's works (Chinese article)
16. Wonder Woman of Eastern Han - Historian Ban Zhao (Chinese article)
    Library of Ancient Verse - a selection of Ban Zhao's works (Chinese article)