Han E (, born 1345) was an ethnic

Han Han may refer to: Ethnic groups * Han Chinese, or Han People (): the name for the largest ethnic group in China, which also constitutes the world's largest ethnic group. ** Han Taiwanese (): the name for the ethnic group of the Taiwanese p ...

female warrior who is considered a war heroine. She served in the anti-

Yuan dynasty The Yuan dynasty (), officially the Great Yuan (; xng, , , literally "Great Yuan State"), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after its division. It was established by Kublai, the fifth ...

Red Turbans dressed as a man under the name Han Guanbao. She was promoted to the rank of lieutenant and became famous as the "

Hua Mulan Hua Mulan () is a legendary folk heroine from the Northern and Southern dynasties era (4th to 6th century CE) of Chinese history. According to legend, Mulan took her aged father's place in the conscription for the army by disguising herself as ...

of Shu".Lily Xiao Hong Lee:
Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women: Tang Through Ming, 618-1644
'

Biography

Han E was the daughter of the academic Han Cheng in

Sichuan Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of the ...

. When the uprising against the

Mongols The Mongols ( mn, Монголчууд, , , ; ; russian: Монголы) are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, Inner Mongolia in China and the Buryatia Republic of the Russian Federation. The Mongols are the principal membe ...

broke out in 1361, she was dressed as a man by her family as a protective measure. The disguise led to her enlistment in the army. She fought there for twelve years dressed as a man under the name Han Guanbao under the command of Wang Quyan and Luo Jia. The revelation of the disguise is said to have come when her general gained so much confidence in her that he wanted to make her his son-in-law and married her daughter, which led to a conflict when she refused to consummate the marriage, and finally to the disclosure, which allowed her to return to her family and be married away. Her deeds were perceived by her contemporaries as something admirable, especially as on her wedding night it turned out that she was still a virgin, and she was already celebrated during her time as a chaste war heroine. Her biography was first written in 1409.

References

{{Expand Swedish, Han E, date=April 2020 Women in 14th-century warfare 1345 births Year of death unknown 14th-century Chinese women 14th-century Chinese people Chinese warriors Women in war in China Women in medieval warfare