Ban Zhao

Bān Zhāo (45–116 CE) (Chinese: 班昭; Wade–Giles: Pan Chao, fl. 2st century), courtesy name Huiban (惠班), was the first known female Chinese historian. She completed her brother Ban Gu's work as he was imprisoned and executed in the year 92 BCE. because of his association with the family of Empress Dowager Dou. It was said her works could have filled eight volumes. Apart from being interested in history, she also had great interest in astronomy and mathematics.

Personal information

Ban Zhao was born in Fufenganlin, in what is now Shanxi 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 (曹大家). He died when she as still and never remarried, instead devoting her life to scholarship. She was the daughter of the famous historian Ban Biao and younger sister of the general Ban Chao and of historian Ban Gu. She was also the grandniece of the notable scholar and poet Consort Ban.

Work

Ban Gu was author of the history of the western han, a book known in modern times as the Book of Han, which she finished after he died. She added the genealogy of the mother of the emperor, which provided a lot of information which was not usually kept. She also added a treatise on astronomy.

Ban Zhao also wrote the Lessons for Women. This book generally advised women to be submissive and accept that their husbands can have concubines while as wives they must remain faithful, although the book does indicate women should be as well-educated as her so they can better serve their husbands. With her husband at the top of the pyramid of authority (or her father if she was unmarried), a woman was supposed to accord the appropriate amount of respect to her brothers, brothers-in-law, father, father-in-law and other male relatives. According to her, "Nothing is better than obedience which sacrifices personal opinion". A modern revisionist theory states that the book is a guide to teach women how to avoid scandal in youth so they can survive long enough to become a powerful dowager. This treatise on the education of women was dedicated to the daughters in Ban Zao's family but was circulated immediately at court. It was popular for centuries in China as a guide for women's conduct.

She also wrote poetry and essays and became China's most famous female scholar.

She taught Empress Deng Sui 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. As the Empress became regent for the infant Emperor Shang of Han, 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 Hsiang. It is possible that she supervised the copying of manuscripts from bamboo slips and silk onto a recently invented material, paper.

As Ban Zhao got older, she decided to travel to Chengliu. Both the book she wrote about her traveling as another book, Collected Works of Dagu, compiled by her daughter-in-law Ding, have been lost.

During her life she also wrote poems, commemorative writings, argumentations, commentaries, essays and several longer works, not all of which survive.

Death

When Empress Dowager Deng Sui heard about Ban Zhao's death at advanced age, she dressed all in white to mourn her.

Legacy

Ban Zhao crater on Venus is named after her.

Personal information

Father

Ban Biao (班彪; 3-54;)

eldest brother

Ban Gu (班固; 32-92; )

second brother

Ban Chao (班超; 32-102;)

Ban Xiong (班雄; ?-after 107; Ban Chao's eldest son)

Ban Shi (班始; ?-130; Ban Chao's second son)

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

Last update 05-06-2012

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