Xiutu
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Xiutu (, also rendered as Hsiu-tu, lit. "The king who puts an end to massacres") was a king in the Hexi corridor of the
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 ...
region, west of Wuwei, during the 2nd century BCE. According to the '' Shiji'' and the '' Book of Han'', King Xiutu, together with King Hunye, was a vassal 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 209 ...
under their ruler Yizhixie (伊稚邪 126–114 BCE), and was antagonistic with the Han dynasty. King Xiutu, considered as ''" Hu"'' (胡, barbarian) by the Han, was positioned between 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 209 ...
tribes of the Mongolian steppes to the north, the Han to the east, the Saka to the northwest, the Tocharians to the west, and the
Southern Qiang Southern Qiang is a Sino-Tibetan language of the Qiangic branch spoken by approximately 81,300 people along the Minjiang () river in Sichuan Province, China. Southern Qiang dialects preserve archaic pronoun flexions, while they have disappe ...
(南羌, ''Nanqiang'') to the south. Although a vassal, Xiutu was probably not himself a Xiongnu: it is actually reported that his territory was occupied by the Xiongnu as they were pushed westward by the Han.


Kingdom of Xiutu

The Kingdom of Xiutu is closely associated to the
Shajing culture The Shajing culture (Ch: 沙井文化, 800/700–100 BCE), is an ancient Iron Age culture in the area of Gansu, to the northwest of the Zhongyuan, Central Plains of China. The village of Shajing is about 250 km northwest of Wuwei, Gansu, Wuwe ...
(700–100 BCE), which managed to prosper along rivers in an ecological context of general aridification. The Shajing Culture was able to flourish along the lower
Shiyang River The Shiyang River (石羊河), previously called the Gu River (谷水), flows through the eastern Hexi Corridor in the China. The catchment area of the Shiyang River covers about 41,600 km2, most of which lies within today's Wuwei prefectur ...
as the
Zhuye Lake Zhuye Lake () is the terminal lake of the Shiyang River, which is located in the east of the Hexi Corridor in Gansu Province, China. Zhuye Lake is located in the marginal area of the Asian monsoon and is affected by both the Asian monsoon system ...
was retreating, while the city of Xiutu prospered along the Hongshui River, permitting a flourishing of nomadic culture within a context of drought. The predecessors of Xiutu in the area of the Hexi Corridor, before 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 209 ...
occupation around 176 BCE, were probably the Yuezhi. According to Lucas Christopoulos, it is possible that the king Xiutu (休屠) was a Greco-Saka ''Soter'' (Savior) issued from the Euthydemid Dynasty after their expansion to Gansu around 230 BC. The Saka artefacts found in the region, similar with the ones of the Tianshan mountains, together with the "flat golden lions" as found on the chariot of Majiayuan, or the golden Saka archers with Phrygian helmets, would confirm their migration from the Greco-Bactrian kingdom to Gansu. The golden statue of king Xiutu "to worship (the god of) Heaven" and described as "two in one" on the Mogao painting in cave 323 was perhaps the testimony of a statue of Zeus holding a goddess. The city of Xiutu (休屠城), about 20 km north of Wuwei, has left monumental ruins (), located on the ancient border of
Zhuye Lake Zhuye Lake () is the terminal lake of the Shiyang River, which is located in the east of the Hexi Corridor in Gansu Province, China. Zhuye Lake is located in the marginal area of the Asian monsoon and is affected by both the Asian monsoon system ...
. After the conquests of Huo Qubing (121 BCE) the city would be incorporated just inside of the Great Wall built under the Han dynasty. The Minqin Basin along the
Shiyang River The Shiyang River (石羊河), previously called the Gu River (谷水), flows through the eastern Hexi Corridor in the China. The catchment area of the Shiyang River covers about 41,600 km2, most of which lies within today's Wuwei prefectur ...
was named "Xiutuze" (休屠泽, "Lake Xiutu") after the King. The number of Xiongnus living in the Hexi Corridor at that time is estimated at 50,000 people, and they were living along the rivers, were water resources were naturally abundant.


Han-Xiongnu war

When the Han–Xiongnu War (133-89 BCE) broke out, the Han dynasty led a campaign against the rulers of the Hexi corridor. In 121 BCE, Huo Qubing was put in charge of an attack on the Hexi corridor, leading 10,000 light cavalry. He defeated the troops of the Xiongnu. Kings Xiutu and Hunye (浑邪) decided to surrender to the Han, as they were also criticized by the Xiongnu for their military failure. But meeting Huo Qubing with his troops, Xiutu renounced his promise and was killed by King Hunye who also seized his troops. Huo Qubing then attacked the troops of Hunye, killing 8,000 troops, and obtaining the surrender of the remaining 40,000. King Hunye was sent to Chang'an where he was welcomed by Han Wudi, who gave him the title of Duke. King Xiutu has a son named Midi, born in 134 BC, who was also captured and became a close aid to Han Wudi, becoming known as Jin Midi (金日磾) in Chinese.


Gold statues

The '' Shiji'' records that in 121 BCE, after Huo Qubing defeated the Xiongnu, he "captured golden (or gilded) men used by the King of Xiutu to worship Heaven", and these were then transferred to the Ganquan Temple near the Imperial Palace of Han Wudi.《史记》〈匈奴列传〉:“其明年春,汉使骠骑将军去病将万骑出陇西,过焉支山千馀里,击匈奴,得胡首虏(骑)万八千馀级,破得休屠王祭天金人。” The statue (or statues) measured more than one ''
zhang Zhang may refer to: Chinese culture, etc. * Zhang (surname) (張/张), common Chinese surname ** Zhang (surname 章), a rarer Chinese surname * Zhang County (漳县), of Dingxi, Gansu * Zhang River (漳河), a river flowing mainly in Henan * ...
'' (about 3 meters), and was put on display, incense was burned and prostrations were made. The expression "金人" ("golden men") to describe this statue is rather curious and untechnical. Sima Qian probably personally saw which was brought back by Huo Qubing in 121 BCE, while he was working on his '' Records of the Grand Historian''. The strange expression "Golden men" may betray some unfamiliarity with this kind of free-standing anthropomorphic idols. These golden statues were unlikely to be Buddhist because the Xiutu are not known to have been Buddhist and Jin Midi became very popular at the Chinese court to the point where his peculiarities were noted, but not worship of Buddhism. Jin Midi was only said to have worshipped the golden statue, now in the Imperial Palace, and this is the reason why he was given the family name "Jin" ("Gold") by the Emperor Han Wudi. Still, the term "Xiutu" (休屠) is also known to have been used in Chinese as an early transliteration for the name of the Buddha and for Buddhist monks. This has reinforced suggestions that King Xiutu and the golden statue may have had a Buddhist character, leading to claims that Buddhism already entered China by the time of the Western Han (202 BCE–9 CE).
Translation in
According to Christoph Baumer and others, "it is conceivable that this 'Golden man' was a statue of the Buddha". '' A New Account of the Tales of the World'' (c. 6th century CE) claims that the golden statues were more than ten feet high, and Emperor Wu of Han sacrificed to it in the Ganquan 甘泉 palace, which "is how Buddhism gradually spread into (China)." In Cave 323 in Mogao caves (near
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 ...
in the Tarim Basin), Emperor Wudi is shown worshipping two golden statues, with the following inscription (which closely paraphrases the traditional accounts of Huo Qubing's expedition): The Han expedition to the west and the capture of booty by general Huo Qubing is well documented, but the later Buddhist interpretation at the Mogao Caves of the worship of these statues as a means to propagate
Buddhism in China Chinese Buddhism or Han Buddhism ( zh, s=汉传佛教, t=漢傳佛教, p=Hànchuán Fójiào) is a Chinese form of Mahayana Buddhism which has shaped Chinese culture in a wide variety of areas including art, politics, literature, philosophy, m ...
is probably
apocryphal Apocrypha are works, usually written, of unknown authorship or of doubtful origin. The word ''apocryphal'' (ἀπόκρυφος) was first applied to writings which were kept secret because they were the vehicles of esoteric knowledge considered ...
, since Han Wudi is not known to have ever worshipped the Buddha. The statue(s) were moved to a temple in Yong county, Yunyang 雲陽 prefecture, near the royal summer palace Ganquan 甘泉 (modern Xianyang, Shaanxi), in the former capital of the Qin dynasty. Wei Shou believes it was located in the palace. The Ganquan Palace was a place of worship. Jin Midi, the son of Xiutu, became a favorite of Emperor Wu, who expanded the Ganquan Palace and spent much time there. Due to Emperor Wu's close relations with Jin, both his parents were honored and the golden statue(s) were placed in a temple dedicated to the spirit of Jinglu (a type of precious Xiongnu sword) for the worship of Xiutu. The locale seems to have been devoted to foreign deities as another temple dedicated to Yue practices was located in the same place. The golden statue(s) later disappeared and the temple came to be known for the sword.


Han occupation of the Hexi corridor

Following their conquest of the Hexi corridor, Han authorities incorporated the new territories into prefectures and counties, such as the Wuwei Prefecture. Numerous people were transferred from the Central Plains, to repopulate the Hexi Corridor.In the early Western Han Dynasty (121–128 BC), the Emperor Hanwu launched three battles against Hun People and achieved a decisive victory. Since then the Minqin Basin was incorporated into the territory of the central plains dynasty. Large numbers of people in Central China were moved to the Hexi Corridor, and the system of prefectures and counties was set up. The Han Dynasty established the Wuwei Prefecture in the SRB, which contained 10 counties. Two of them, Wuwei and Xuanwei, were in the Minqin Basin. Later, the population of the two counties reached about 20,000, and during the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 25–220), Xuanwei along had 10,000 residents (Liang Citation1997).


Descendants of Xiutu

The Xiongnu king Xiutu was one the ancestors of the famous Ban family, and included in his direct descendants through the maternal line the famous historian of the '' Hanshu''
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 ...
, the diplomat and general
Ban Chao Ban Chao (; 32–102 CE), courtesy name Zhongsheng, was a Chinese diplomat, explorer, and military general of the Eastern Han Dynasty. He was born in Fufeng, now Xianyang, Shaanxi. Three of his family members—father Ban Biao, elder brother ...
, the female historian Ban Zhao etc... Xiutu had two sons, Jin Midi, who was given the Jin name by Emperor Han Wudi, and Jin Lun (金伦). One of Jin Lun's grandson was Jin Chang (金敞), an attendant to Emperor Yuan of Han (48-33 BCE), whose daughter married Ban Zhi (班穉) of the Ban clan (班). Ban Zhi and his Xiongnu wife became the direct and immediate ancestors of the famous members of the Ban family: their son was the historian and politician Ban Biao, one of their grandsons was 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 ...
, and another grandson was General
Ban Chao Ban Chao (; 32–102 CE), courtesy name Zhongsheng, was a Chinese diplomat, explorer, and military general of the Eastern Han Dynasty. He was born in Fufeng, now Xianyang, Shaanxi. Three of his family members—father Ban Biao, elder brother ...
, their granddaughter was Ban Zhao. The Xiongnu origins of Ban Biao on the maternal side might help explain the skills of his illustrious son and grandsons in dealing with matters related to China's history and foreign relations.


References

{{reflist Xiongnu Han dynasty Chinese royal titles Former countries in Chinese history