KnowraZhao TuoZhao TuoZhao Tuo was a Qin dynasty general who established the kingdom of Nanyue in southern China and ruled as its first king.BriefConnectQin dynasty: The Chinese imperial dynasty founded by Qin Shi Huang that ruled from 221 to 206 BCE. Zhao Tuo served as a Qin general during the dynasty’s southward expansion.Nanyue-Han relations: The diplomatic and political relationship between the Nanyue kingdom and the Han empire. Zhao Tuo alternated between acknowledging Han authority and exercising independent rule.Lingnan: The region south of the Nanling Mountains, encompassing much of modern Guangdong and Guangxi. Zhao Tuo’s rule helped establish a durable political center in this southern frontier region.Records of the Grand Historian: Sima Qian’s history of China from its legendary beginnings through the early Han dynasty. Its account of Nanyue is a major source for Zhao Tuo’s career and diplomacy.Qin conquest of Baiyue: The Qin campaigns that extended imperial control into regions inhabited by the Baiyue peoples. These campaigns brought Zhao Tuo to the southern frontier where he later established Nanyue.Emperor Gaozu of Han: The founding emperor of the Han dynasty, who ruled from 202 to 195 BCE. He sent envoys to secure Zhao Tuo’s nominal submission and avoid a costly southern war.Minyue: An ancient state in southeastern China, active during the Qin and Han periods. Its relations with Nanyue show the competing regional powers surrounding Zhao Tuo’s kingdom.Book of Han: A history of the Western Han dynasty compiled by Ban Gu and other Han-era scholars. It preserves a Han court perspective on Zhao Tuo and the kingdom’s eventual annexation.Qin Shi Huang: The ruler who unified China and became its first emperor in 221 BCE. His conquest and colonization policies created the southern commanderies Zhao Tuo later controlled.Lu Zhi: The empress dowager who governed the Han court as regent after Emperor Gaozu’s death. Her trade restrictions and hostile policy toward Nanyue prompted Zhao Tuo to assert royal status.Show all 20Linked from 6 pagesVietnam under Chinese ruleRelated: His kingdom preceded the Han conquest that initiated direct Chinese rule in northern Vietnam.Ngô dynastyCompared with: His kingdom’s contested legacy contrasts with the Ngô court’s claim to independent Vietnamese kingship.An Dương VươngRelated: Vietnamese tradition identifies his forces as the conquerors of Âu Lạc.Southward expansion of the Han dynastyRelated: His kingdom became the principal southern power Han rulers aimed to bring under their control.Show all 6