Ban Yong (, died c. 128 CE),

courtesy name A courtesy name (), also known as a style name, is a name bestowed upon one at adulthood in addition to one's given name. This practice is a tradition in the East Asian cultural sphere, including China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.Ulrich Theobald ...

Yiliao (宜僚), was the youngest son of the famous Chinese General, Ban Chao, and the nephew of the illustrious historian,

Ban Gu Ban Gu (AD32–92) was a Chinese historian, politician, and poet 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 ...

, who compiled the ''

Book of Han The ''Book of Han'' or ''History of the Former Han'' (Qián Hàn Shū,《前汉书》) is a history of China finished in 111AD, covering the Western, or Former Han dynasty from the first emperor in 206 BCE to the fall of Wang Mang in 23 CE. I ...

'', the dynastic history of the

Former Han The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...

dynasty.

Ban Yong's family

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 began the ' ...

( 班彪; 3-54 CE; grandfather) **

( 班固; 32-92; first son) ** Ban Chao ( 班超; 32-102; second son) *** Ban Xiong ( 班雄; ?-after 107; Ban Chao's eldest son) **** Ban Shi ( 班始; ?-130; Ban Xiong's son) *** Ban Yong ( 班勇; ?- c. 128; youngest son of Ban Chao) **

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

( 班昭; 45-116; daughter)

Biography

In 100 CE, his father, Ban Chao, wrote a request to the Emperor saying, amongst other things: "I have taken care to send my son (Ban) Yong to enter the frontier following porters with presents, and thus, I will arrange things so that (Ban) Yong sees the Middle Territories eaning Chinawith his own eyes while I am still alive." See the ''

Book of the Later Han The ''Book of the Later Han'', also known as the ''History of the Later Han'' and by its Chinese name ''Hou Hanshu'' (), is one of the Twenty-Four Histories and covers the history of the Han dynasty from 6 to 189 CE, a period known as the Later ...

'', Chapter 77 (sometimes given as Chapter 47), translated and adapted by E.

Édouard Chavannes Émmanuel-Édouard Chavannes (5 October 1865 – 29 January 1918) was a French sinologist and expert on Chinese history and religion, and is best known for his translations of major segments of Sima Qian's ''Records of the Grand Historian' ...

. In 107 CE, the Western Regions in modern

Xinjiang Xinjiang, SASM/GNC: ''Xinjang''; zh, c=, p=Xīnjiāng; formerly romanized as Sinkiang (, ), officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China (PRC), located in the northwest ...

province rebelled against Chinese rule. Ban Yong was appointed as a Major (Jun Sima 軍司馬) and, with his elder brother, Ban Xiong (班雄), went via

Dunhuang Dunhuang () is a county-level city in Northwestern Gansu Province, Western China. According to the 2010 Chinese census, the city has a population of 186,027, though 2019 estimates put the city's population at about 191,800. Dunhuang was a major ...

to meet up with the

Protector General of the Western Regions The Protectorate of the Western Regions () was an imperial administration (a protectorate) of Han China in the Western Regions. The "Western Regions" referred to areas west of Yumen Pass, especially the Tarim Basin. These areas would later be ...

Ren Shang Ren Shang (, died 118) was the Protector General of the Western Regions under Eastern Han between 102-106 CE. In February, 91, he and Geng Kui defeated the unnamed Northern Shanyu shortly after the Battle of Ikh Bayan, on commission by Dou Xian ...

(?-119 CE), who had replaced Ban Chao as Protector General in 102 CE. The Chinese had to retreat and, following this, there were no Chinese functionaries in the Western Regions for more than ten years. In 123 CE the Emperor gave Ban Yong the title of 'Senior Clerk of the Western Regions' so that he could lead five hundred freed convicts west to garrison Liuzhong (= Lukchun, in the southern Turpan Basin). After that, Ban Yong conquered and pacified

Turpan Turpan (also known as Turfan or Tulufan, , ug, تۇرپان) is a prefecture-level city located in the east of the autonomous region of Xinjiang, China. It has an area of and a population of 632,000 (2015). Geonyms The original name of the cit ...

and Jimasa (in modern

Jimsar County Jimsar County is a county in Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang, China. It contains an area of . According to the 2002 census, it has a population of 130,000. Near the town of Jimsar are the ruins of the ancient city of Beiting () or Tin ...

). In the first month of the following year (3 February-3 March, 124 CE), he arrived in

Loulan Loulan, also called Krorän or Kroraina ( zh, s=, t=, p=Lóulán <

Eastern Han Chinese

''lo-lɑn'' <

and rewarded the King of

Shanshan Shanshan (; ug, پىچان, Pichan, Piqan) was a kingdom located at the north-eastern end of the Taklamakan Desert near the great, but now mostly dry, salt lake known as Lop Nur. The kingdom was originally an independent city-state, known in ...

with three new ribbons for his submission. Following this, the kings of Aksu and Uch Turpan (the modern town of Wushi), presented themselves with their hands tied behind their backs to make submission. Ban Yong then sent the soldiers of these kingdoms (numbering 10,000 infantry and cavalry) into battle. Close to

he put the 'Yili King' of the

Xiongnu The Xiongnu (, ) were a tribal confederation of nomadic peoples who, according to ancient Chinese sources, inhabited the eastern Eurasian Steppe from the 3rd century BC to the late 1st century AD. Modu Chanyu, the supreme leader after 20 ...

to flight in the Yihe Valley. He won over more than 5,000 men of Turpan to his cause, and communications between Turpan and China were reopened. He then established a military colony at Lukchun. In the following year (125 CE) Ban Yong, with more than 6,000 cavalry from the commanderies of

, Zhangye (= modern

Gansu Gansu (, ; alternately romanized as Kansu) is a province in Northwest China. Its capital and largest city is Lanzhou, in the southeast part of the province. The seventh-largest administrative district by area at , Gansu lies between the Tibet ...

), and

Jiuquan Jiuquan, formerly known as Suzhou, is a prefecture-level city in the northwesternmost part of Gansu Province in the People's Republic of China. It is more than wide from east to west, occupying , although its built-up area is mostly located in ...

(= modern

Suzhou Suzhou (; ; Suzhounese: ''sou¹ tseu¹'' , Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Soochow, is a major city in southern Jiangsu province, East China. Suzhou is the largest city in Jiangsu, and a major economic center and focal point of trade ...

), as well as soldiers from

, Kashgar and Turpan, defeated the King of Jimasa and beheaded both the king and a Xiongnu envoy. He sent their heads to the capital. He also captured more than 8,000 prisoners and 50,000 horses and cattle. Near the end of the reign of Emperor An 07-125 CE Ban Yong presented a report to him on the countries to the west of China, covering all the territory to India as well as to the Roman Empire. This report formed the basis, with a few later additions, of the 'Chronicle of the Western Regions' in the ''Hou Hanshu''. In 126 CE, all the "Six Kingdoms of Jushi" (across the mountains to the north and east of Turpan) submitted to Ban Yong. In 127 CE he subdued

Karashahr Karasahr or Karashar ( ug, قاراشەھەر, Qarasheher, 6=Қарашәһәр), which was originally known, in the Tocharian languages as ''Ārśi'' (or Arshi) and Agni or the Chinese derivative Yanqi ( zh, s=焉耆, p=Yānqí, w=Yen-ch'i), is an ...

and then

Kucha Kucha, or Kuche (also: ''Kuçar'', ''Kuchar''; ug, كۇچار, Кучар; zh, t= 龜茲, p=Qiūcí, zh, t=庫車, p=Kùchē; sa, कूचीन, translit=Kūcīna), was an ancient Buddhist kingdom located on the branch of the Silk Road ...

also capitulated, thus opening the route all the way to Kashgar which, in turn, opened communications once again to the countries further west such as

Ferghana Fergana ( uz, Fargʻona/Фарғона, ), or Ferghana, is a district-level city and the capital of Fergana Region in eastern Uzbekistan. Fergana is about 420 km east of Tashkent, about 75 km west of Andijan, and less than 20 km fr ...

Kangju Kangju (; Eastern Han Chinese: ''kʰɑŋ-kɨɑ'' < *''khâŋ-ka'' (c. 140 BCE)) was the Chinese name of a kingdom in

Central Asia< ...

and the

Yuezhi The Yuezhi (;) were an ancient people first described in Chinese histories as nomadic pastoralists living in an arid grassland area in the western part of the modern Chinese province of Gansu, during the 1st millennium BC. After a major defeat ...

. Only Yuanmeng, Weili orlaand Weixu oxudrefused to submit. In 127 Ban Yong with Zhang Lang, the Governor of Dunhuang, attacked and subdued 17 kingdoms including

Kashgar Kashgar ( ug, قەشقەر, Qeshqer) or Kashi ( zh, c=喀什) is an oasis city in the Tarim Basin region of Southern Xinjiang. It is one of the westernmost cities of China, near the border with Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Pakistan ...

Khotan Hotan (also known as Gosthana, Gaustana, Godana, Godaniya, Khotan, Hetian, Hotien) is a major oasis town in southwestern Xinjiang, an autonomous region in Western China. The city proper of Hotan broke off from the larger Hotan County to become ...

, and

Yarkand Yarkant County,, United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency also Shache County,, United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency also transliterated from Uyghur as Yakan County, is a county in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous ...

, who all came to submit to China. The king of Yuanmeng sent his son then to the palace with offerings. Following this, the

Wusun The Wusun (; Eastern Han Chinese *''ʔɑ-suən'' <

Old Chinese

(140 BCE < 436 BCE): *''Ɂâ-sûn'') were an ancient semi-

and the countries in the

Pamir Mountains The Pamir Mountains are a mountain range between Central Asia and Pakistan. It is located at a junction with other notable mountains, namely the Tian Shan, Karakoram, Kunlun, Hindu Kush and the Himalaya mountain ranges. They are among the world ...

stopped disrupting communications to the west. During the attack on Karashahr Zhang Lang was to take the northern passage while Ban Yong was to take the southern passage; since Zhang Lang had accused of committing crimes, Zhang Lang was eager to redeem himself and left earlier than agreed upon with Ban Yong. Zhang Lang would then proceed to subdue the Karashahr with ease, resulting in Ban Yong being seen by the government as being late in making his planned rendez-vous with Zhang Lang. Ban Yong was later recalled to the capital city of Luoyang and was imprisoned. He was later pardoned and died amongst his family.Chavannes (1906), pp. 254-255.

References

Citations

Sources

* Chavannes, Édouard (1906). "Trois Généraux Chinois de la dynastie des Han Orientaux. Pan Tch’ao (32-102 p.C.); – son fils Pan Yong; – Leang K’in (112 p.C.). Chapitre LXXVII du ''Heou Han chou''." ''T’oung pao'' 7, pp. 210–269. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ban, Yong Chinese explorers Han dynasty generals Han dynasty diplomats Explorers of Central Asia 2nd-century diplomats