The Chief Official of the Western Regions was a Chinese
military official
An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service.
Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer, or a warrant officer. However, absent context ...
in charge of the
Western Regions
The Western Regions or Xiyu (Hsi-yü; ) was a historical name specified in the Chinese chronicles between the 3rd century BC to the 8th century AD that referred to the regions west of Yumen Pass, most often Central Asia or sometimes more sp ...
during the
Eastern 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 ...
Eastern 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 ...
no longer maintained the post of Protector General, the duty was assumed by the Chief Official in the course of his management of the Western Regions during the period of the Qiang's attacks towards the end of the Eastern Han dynasty in the latter part of the 2nd century CE.Yu 1995, pp. 72–75."Xiyu Changshi" .
Unlike the Protector General of the Western Regions, the Chief Official (sometimes referred to as the 'Chief Scribe') did not have a regular office or seat. It corresponded to that of the Assistant (郡丞) for the commandery, who received orders from the Governor of Dunhuang. So in certain extent, the various statelets of
Indo-European
The Indo-European languages are a language family native to the overwhelming majority of Europe, the Iranian plateau, and the northern Indian subcontinent. Some European languages of this family, English, French, Portuguese, Russian, Dutc ...
in the possession of the chief official would be under the jurisdiction of Governor of Dunhuang.
The first to assume the duty was Ban Chao in 83, and subsequently was
Xu Gan
Xu Gan (Chinese: 徐幹, pinyin Xú Gàn, 171–218), courtesy name Weichang ( 偉長), was a Chinese philosopher and poet of the late Eastern Han dynasty. He was also one of the "Seven Scholars of Jian'an". He is best known in the West for his ...
(徐干), after Ban became Protector General in 91. The post was roughly equal to the secondary position in support of the protector general. It was later assumed as the Protector General in 119 under the impulse of the Governor of Dunhuang to disengage the leftover
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 ...
from the Western Regions. Only 5 of their titles were known: Suo Ban (索班),
Ban Yong
Ban Yong (, died c. 128 CE), courtesy name Yiliao (宜僚), was the youngest son of the famous Chinese General, Ban Chao, and the nephew of the illustrious historian, Ban Gu, who compiled the ''Book of Han'', the dynastic history of the Former Han ...
(班勇), Zhao Ping (赵评), Wang Jing (王敬) and Zhang Yan (张晏). The Chief Official of the Western Regions was last seen in 175. It was subsequently re-established and maintained by the
Western Jin
Western may refer to:
Places
*Western, Nebraska, a village in the US
*Western, New York, a town in the US
* Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western world, countries that i ...
until around 328, during the times of Li Bo (李柏), the Chief Official of the Western Regions in
Former Liang
The Former Liang (; 320–376) was a dynastic state, one of the Sixteen Kingdoms, in Chinese history. It was founded by the Zhang family of the Han ethnicity. Its territories included present-day Gansu and parts of Ningxia, Shaanxi, Qinghai and ...
.Zhou, 32-34, 37-38.
See also
*
Protectorate 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 b ...
Encyclopedia of China
The ''Encyclopedia of China'' () is the first large-entry modern encyclopedia in the Chinese language. The compilation began in 1978. Published by the Encyclopedia of China Publishing House, the encyclopedia was issued one volume at a time, begin ...
'' (Chinese History Edition), 1st ed.
* Yu, Taishan. ''A Study of the History of the Relationship Between the Western and Eastern Han, Wei, Jin, Northern and Southern Dynasties and the Western Regions''. Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, June 1995. Sino-Platonic Papers, Oct, 2006.
* Yu, Taishan (2nd ed, 2003). ''A Comprehensive History of Western Regions''. Zhengzhou: Zhongzhou Guji Press. .
* Zhou, Weizhou (1992). ''A Study on the Northwest Ethnicities During the Middle Ages in China''. Xi'an: Northwest University Press. .
Administrative divisions of ancient ChinaHan dynastyHistory of Xinjiang
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