Ban Zhao (c. 49–c. 120 CE) was a distinguished historian and writer of the Eastern Han dynasty. Also known by her given name Ji, with the courtesy name Huiban, she was a native of Anling, Fufeng Commandery (in present-day northeastern Xianyang, Shaanxi).
She was the daughter of Ban Biao and younger sister of Ban Gu, the principal author of the Book of Han – Hanshu. When Ban Gu died in prison in 92 CE, the Hanshu remained unfinished – particularly the “Tables” (Biao) and the “Treatise on Astronomy” (Tianwen Zhi). By imperial decree under Emperor He, Ban Zhao collaborated with the scholar Ma Xu to complete and edit these final sections, thereby bringing the first dynastic history of China to completion.
Renowned for her erudition and moral integrity, Ban Zhao frequently entered the imperial palace during Emperor He’s reign, where she served as an instructor to the empress and imperial consorts. Because she was married into the Cao family, she was respectfully addressed as “Madam Cao” or, more honorifically, “Cao Da Jia” (“Grand Master Cao”, “Da Jia” being a term of high scholarly respect, not indicating male gender).
Among her literary works, the most famous are the “Rhapsody on the Eastern Expedition” (Dong Zheng Fu), a reflective travelogue composed during a journey to her husband’s ancestral home, and the “Lessons for Women” (Nü Jie), a didactic text outlining Confucian ideals of female virtue, modesty, and obedience. Though later criticized for reinforcing patriarchal norms, Nü Jie became one of the most influential texts on women’s conduct in pre-modern China.
Ban Zhao is widely recognized as China’s first known female historian and a rare example of a woman granted official intellectual authority in imperial court circles.
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