Storytelling of the Book of Han

Author: Chen Lizhu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: The Book of Han, also known as The Former Han Book, was written by Ban Gu of the early Eastern Han Dynasty. Ban Gu (32–92) was a Han Dynasty poet and historian, styled Mengjian, and was from Anling, Fufeng (now Xianyang, Shaanxi). From a young age, he was skilled in writing, entering the Imperial Academy in Luoyang at the age of 16. He was also known for his gentle and humble nature, earning great respect from the Confucian scholars of his time. His father, Ban Biao, was a renowned scholar of his era, who had written 65 chapters of The Post-History of the Records of the Grand Historian to supplement the history of the Western Han Dynasty after Records of the Grand Historian. After Ban Biao's death, Ban Gu wanted to complete the work, but he was accused of privately altering the national history and arrested, imprisoned in the Jiaozhou prison. His younger brother, Ban Chao, wrote a memorial in his defense, leading to his release. Emperor Ming of Han highly praised Ban Gu's talent and appointed him as a historian at the Orchid Terrace, later promoted to a Gentleman of the Court, overseeing the compilation of imperial archives. In the Yongping era of Emperor Ming, he was ordered to compile history, and after years of effort, he completed the writing of The Book of Han by the seventh year of the Jianchu era of Emperor Zhang (82). During Emperor Zhang's reign, Ban Gu served as the Marquis of Xuanwu. In the fourth year of the Jianchu era (79), Emperor Zhang ordered the princes and Confucian scholars to gather at the White Tiger Pavilion to discuss the differences and similarities of the Five Classics, appointing Ban Gu to compile the event, resulting in The White Tiger Pavilion Treatises. In the first year of Emperor He's Yongyuan era (89), he accompanied the Grand General Dou Xian in his campaign against the Xiongnu, serving as the Vice Protector of the Army. Dou Xian, arrogant and later punished for his crimes, led to Ban Gu being implicated and imprisoned, where he died. Ban Gu was one of the most famous Han Dynasty poets of the early Eastern Han Dynasty.