Ban Zhao, also known as Hui Ji (48-117 CE), was a renowned Chinese scholar and historian of the Eastern Han Dynasty. In addition, she was a talented teacher and author, a great beauty, and a woman of high moral character.
Let us get to know the knowledgeable and virtuous “female saint” — the teacher of the back palace, Ban Zhao.
Born into a noble family
Born into a prominent family, Ban Zhao’s father, Ban Biao, was a famous master of Confucianism in the Eastern Han dynasty. Her eldest brother, Ban Gu, was also a renowned historian, while her second eldest brother, Ban Chao, was a general stationed in the Western Regions. The latter’s story of “giving up the pen and taking up weapons” was well-known, and he made significant contributions to the stability of the border of the Eastern Han Dynasty.
Growing up in a pure Confucian family, Ban Zhao began reading ancient books early. Before long, her literary talent emerged, and like her two older brothers, Ban Zhao was found to be especially good at historical research.
At the age of 14, Ban Zhao married Cao Shishu. But when Cao Shishu died at a young age, Ban Zhao took her three children and moved back to her parent’s home so that she could help her father and brother sort out documents. She never remarried, followed the standard for ladylike behavior and proper etiquette, and was praised for her moral conduct.
Completing the ‘Book of Han’
When Ban Zhao was 43 years old, Ban Gu was killed in prison due to a case he was involved in related to Empress Dowager Dou. As a result, he failed to fulfill his father’s wish to finish writing the Book of Han or the History of the Former Han, the official dynastic history of the Western Han.
In A.D.99, Ban Zhao was ordered to enter the Imperial Dongguan Library to complete the unfinished Book of Han. By that time, her talent and intellectual abilities were well-known worldwide. As a result, Emperor Hanhe summoned Ban Zhao to the palace many times and ultimately asked her to be a teacher to the empress and nobles.
Ban Zhao took up the task of rearranging the scattered original historical manuscripts, and carefully edited, corrected, and filled in any omissions. Finally, she supplemented Ban Gu’s unfinished Eight Tables and Astronomical Records and created the Ancient and Modern Human Tables.
In writing, Ban Zhao gave great importance to the orthodox thinking of the Han Dynasty and made sure she stuck closely to historical facts. She followed the way of the sage and the good governance of wise emperors, using these as the standard for guiding future generations.
She stressed that when a monarch governed the kingdom with virtue and wisdom, respected Heaven, loved the people, was strict with himself, and respected those who were virtuous and capable, he achieved long-term stability for the kingdom and his people.
The historical masterpiece Book of Han was completed through the efforts of father and son, brother and sister, of two generations. The three family members compiled 100 volumes containing 800,000 words, for which Ban Zhao exhausted almost her entire life’s energy.
Letter to the emperor helped her brother return home
During Emperor Hanhe’s reign, Ban Zhao’s second eldest brother, Ban Chao, guarded the frontier for over 30 years. In his old age, he yearned to return to his home and asked to resign. However, Emperor Hanhe could not find a suitable replacement and refused to allow Ban Chao to leave the frontier.
Ban Zhao wrote a letter to Emperor Hanhe requesting that her brother be allowed to his hometown. In her letter, she did not focus on family or personal matters, but instead persuaded the emperor from the perspective of the righteousness of the ruler.
She said that although Ban Chao was willing to sacrifice his life, he was old and weak, possibly allowing the Western Region to rebel. Therefore, it would serve the nation best for the emperor to send young, strong men as soon as possible, and only then would the imperial court have no worries.
At the same time, Ban Zhao also asked Emperor Hanhe to promote filial piety, and in this way, he would win the hearts of the people, and only when the people’s hearts were devoted to the emperor would they be loyal and obedient.
She said: “If you can let my brother Ban Chao return to his hometown, not only will the Ban family forever remember the emperor’s grace, but the whole world will be moved by the emperor’s great grace and become more patriotic.
After Emperor Hanhe read the letter, he sighed with emotion. Ban Zhao’s letter, filled with reason and goodwill, moved the emperor’s heart, and he let Ban Chao return to his hometown.
Assisting Empress Dowager to run the government
Following the death of Emperor Hanhe, Empress Dowager Deng, who was only 24 years old at the time, was in great need of a virtuous and talented assistant to help her with the young emperor. Knowing Ban Zhao’s reputation, the empress proclaimed to let Ban Zhao enter the palace to be her assistant.
Ban Zhao was familiar with historical facts and understood the prosperity and decline, success and loss, and advance and retreat of past dynasties. Her knowledge of history was an essential factor in the work she did assisting the empress.
On one occasion, Deng Xiao, the empress’s brother and a general guarding the frontier, asked to resign and return home due to his mother’s death. Empress Dowager Deng did not want him to leave and asked for Ban Zhao’s advice. Ban Zhao said that the general’s loyalty and filial piety in his duty and request to resign were precisely the reasons for his success.
She implicitly told the empress that her brother should go home; otherwise, when he ceased to be in power in the future, any small matter could cause a catastrophe. Accordingly, Empress Dowager Deng immediately accepted her brother Deng Xiao’s resignation.
A guide for women’s conduct
When Ban Zhao reached old age, she was worried that she would die soon and wanted to leave teachings to younger generations. She hoped that younger generations would not be ignorant and disrespectful and harm their family’s reputation, so she wrote seven chapters in the Lessons for Women book. It provided details on how to be a good wife and daughter-in-law, respect and love oneself, and not be easily offended by others.
The Lessons for Women is imbued with Ban Zhao’s lifelong cultivation experiences and is highly touching. Her words are full of wisdom and humility and embody the good intentions of elders for the generations that follow.
Ban Zhao taught women to regard softness as beauty and humility as a virtue. She said: “Be humble and respectful and put others before yourself. Women should be humble and tolerant, restrained and obedient. It is good to give to others first, humble yourself, do good deeds without ostentation, and admit when you have done wrong.”
When Ban Zhao died of illness, Empress Dowager Deng mourned in plain clothes to show her deep respect.
The Lessons for Women was highly recommended to women worldwide by the eldest grandson of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty. It also became a must-learn textbook for imperial concubines and women of aristocratic families. As a result, Ban Zhao has come to be revered as a female saint by later generations, and her words of wisdom continue to guide and touch all who read them.
