Ban Jieyu

(chinadaily.com.cn)

Ban Jieyu (48 BC-2 AD) was a Han Dynasty writer. Although her real name was Ban Tian, Jieyu refers to her rank as a concubine of the emperor. She was a master of Fu verses. The historians Ban Gu and Ban Zhao and the renowned diplomat Ban Chao were prominent members of her family. As a renowned writer and a high-ranking concubine of the Emperor Cheng, Ban earned a biographical entry in the official Han Dynasty history book, where she was praised as a woman with good virtue and talent in verses and other forms of poetry. Except for three rimed pieces entitled Verse on My Sorrow, Verse on Washing White Silk Cloth and Song of Complaint, most of her poems have been lost to history. Due to her family background and talent, Ban Jieyu has won a place in the history of literature.

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