Ban Gu

Ban Gu (32–92 CE) was an Eastern Han historian, poet, and court official who continued his father Ban Biao’s unfinished history and helped compile the Book of Han.

Book of Han: A history of the Former Han dynasty, completed by Ban Gu and his family in the first century CE. Ban Gu’s principal historical work, continued from his father’s draft.
Eastern Han dynasty: The period of Han rule from 25 to 220 CE, following the brief Xin dynasty. Ban Gu’s scholarship and official career unfolded under its rulers.
Fu (poetry): A classical Chinese literary form combining rhythmic prose and verse, often descriptive and expansive. Ban Gu used this genre for celebrated accounts of capitals and court life.
Twenty-Four Histories: A traditional collection of official histories covering Chinese dynasties from antiquity through the Ming dynasty. The Book of Han became one of the collection’s canonical histories.
Ban Biao: An Eastern Han scholar whose unfinished history of the Former Han dynasty began the project later completed by his children. His draft supplied the foundation for Ban Gu’s historical project.
Former Han dynasty: The first major period of Han rule in China, lasting from 202 BCE to 9 CE. It is the dynasty Ban Gu set out to document in the Book of Han.
Ode on the Two Capitals: Ban Gu’s fu poem comparing the Western Han capital Chang’an with the Eastern Han capital Luoyang. It is his best-known literary work outside the Book of Han.
Standard history: An officially recognized dynastic history compiled to record a ruling house and its predecessor. Ban Gu’s work helped establish the form later histories followed.
Ban Zhao: An Eastern Han historian and scholar who completed parts of the Book of Han after Ban Gu’s death. She helped bring Ban Gu’s unfinished work to completion.
Emperor Ming of Han: The Eastern Han emperor who ruled from 57 to 75 CE and sponsored court scholarship. His court commissioned Ban Gu to produce historical work.

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