Ban Chao was a famous militarist and diplomatist living in the 32-102A.D. period of the Eastern Han Dynasty.

In his youth, due to the poverty of the family, Ban Chao made a living by transcribing books for feudal officials. In 73A.D, when the great general Dou Gu led troops to fight with the Hun, he joined the troop to go to the West Regions. On the military journey, Ban Chao’s outstanding military competence was appreciated by Dou Gu. The general then dispatched him to go with other officials on a diplomatic mission to the Western Regions. He led a troop of 36 soldiers to the Western Regions, killed the Hun’s residential ambassadors in Shanshan and Yutian (two states in the Western Regions) and dethroned the King of Shule who leeched on to the Hun, thus consolidating the Han Dynasty’s domination of the Western Regions. Afterwards, he succeeded in leading the troops of several states including Shule and Yudian to defeat infringing enemies. During the period from 87 to 84A.D, Ban Chao successively defeated Shache, Guizi and other states and made them submit to the Han Dynasty again.

For his eminent battle achievements in pacifying the Western Regions, Ban Chao was granted a title of “Duhu of Western Regions“, namely, the person dispatched by the Han Dynasty to act as the highest administrative commanding officer in Western Regions. When holding the post, Ban Chao ever sent his underling Gan Ying on a diplomatic mission to Daqin (Roman Empire), with the latter ever arriving at the west coast of the Red Sea. Ban Chao returned to Luoyang (capital of the Eastern Han Dynasty) in 102A.D. and died of disease shortly afterwards.

Ban Chao spent over 30 years in the West Region to pacifying civil strife and beating off powerful enemies. He thus helped to ensure the security in the Western Regions and the smooth communication along the Silk Road. Moreover, he helped to maintain the Han Dynasty’s domination of the Western Regions.