View source for Fu Hao

{{Short description|Shang dynasty general, diviner, Queen consort to King Wu Ding}}
{{for|the Chinese diplomat|Fu Hao (diplomat)}}
{{Infobox royalty
| death_date   = {{circa}} 1200 BC
| death_place  = [[Yinxu]], [[Shang dynasty|Shang]]
| consort      = yes
| name         = Fu Hao
| image        = Fu Haocrop.jpg
| caption      = Modern statue of Fu Hao outside her tomb at [[Yinxu]]
| spouse       = King [[Wu Ding]]
| reign        = 
| issue        = [[Zu Ji|Prince Jie]]
| occupation   = *Military general
*Priestess
| dynasty      = [[Shang dynasty|Shang]]
| title        = Queen consort
| titletext    = 
}}

'''Fu Hao''' ({{zh|t=婦好|s=妇好|first=t|p=Fù Hǎo}}){{efn|Several scholars (Childs-Johnson (2003), Zhang Zhenglang (1983, 1986), Chung (1985), etc.) propose that {{lang|zh|婦好}} be read as '''Fù Zǐ''' (lit. "Lady [surnamed] Zi"), interpreting the graph 好 as a [[Chinese character classification#Phono-semantic compounds|phono-semantic compound]] with phonetic 子 and radical 女, which was used "as a heraldic and function and gender classifier" to distinguish women's surnames from men's.<ref>{{ cite conference | last= Childs-Johnson | first= Elizabeth | date= 2003 | chapter= Fu Zi: The Shang Woman Warrior | title= The Fourth International Conference on Chinese Paleography [ICCP] Proceedings| place= Hong Kong | publisher= Chinese University of Hong Kong | pages= 619–651}}</ref>{{rp|620}}}} died {{Circa}} 1200 BC, posthumous [[temple name]] '''Mu Xin''' ({{lang|zh|母辛}}), was one of the many wives of King [[Wu Ding]] of the [[Shang dynasty]] and also served as a military general and high priestess.<ref name=cambridge>{{cite book
| first=Patricia
| last=Ebrey
| year=2006
| title=The Cambridge Illustrated History of China
| publisher=Cambridge University Press
| pages=[https://archive.org/details/cambridgeillustr00ebre_0/page/26 26]&ndash;27
| isbn=978-0-521-43519-2
| url-access=registration
| url=https://archive.org/details/cambridgeillustr00ebre_0
}}</ref> Fu Hao's life and military achievements are known almost entirely from the contents of her tomb, rather than from [[Chinese historiography|literary records]].

The [[Tomb of Fu Hao]] was unearthed intact in 1976 at [[Yinxu]] by archaeologist [[Zheng Zhenxiang]],{{sfn|Bagley|1999|pp=194-196}}<ref name=TrowelBlazers>{{cite web|title=The First Lady of Chinese Archaeology|date=9 May 2014 |url=http://trowelblazers.com/zheng-zhenxiang/|publisher=TrowelBlazers|access-date=18 October 2015}}</ref> with treasures - known as her 700+ jade objects (Fu Hao was a collector, so some were already antiques), and also her collection of more than 500 bone objects, such as [[oracle bones]] (they were from her role as a religious priestess, and were used in her many rituals). Along with the jade and bone objects, Fu Hao was buried with 6 dogs, and 16 human sacrifices. Inside the pit was evidence of a wooden chamber {{convert|5|m|ft||abbr=off}} long, {{convert|3.5|m|ft|abbr=off}} wide and {{convert|1.3|m|ft|abbr=off}} high containing a [[lacquer]]ed wooden coffin that has since completely disintegrated.<ref name="washUni1">{{cite web |url = http://depts.washington.edu/chinaciv/archae/2fuhmain.htm |title = Shang Tomb of Fu Hao |access-date = August 4, 2007 |last = Buckley Ebrey|first = Patricia |work = A Visual Sourcebook of Chinese Civilization |publisher = [[University of Washington]] }}</ref> The tomb of Fu Hao provides much insight into her life, her relationship with the royal family, and her military role and achievements.

Fu Hao was a close contemporary of the ancient Egyptian pharaoh [[Tutankhamun]], whose tomb was also found generally intact. For this reason, she has been described as the ''Chinese Tutankhamun''.<ref name="a392">{{cite web | last=Archaeology | first=World | title=China unearthed: A hidden history of tombs and offerings | website=The Past – History / Archaeology / Heritage / Ancient World | date=2023-09-21 | url=https://the-past.com/feature/china-unearthed-a-hidden-history-of-tombs-and-offerings/ | access-date=2025-05-08}}</ref><ref name="f977">{{cite web | title=What were the circumstances of Fu Hao’s death? | website=Fu Hao | url=https://hol0022accat.weebly.com/what-were-the-circumstances-of-fu-haorsquos-death.html | access-date=2025-05-08}}</ref><ref name="d512">{{cite web | title=The Chinese Tutankhamun Whose Tomb Was Untouched For 3000 Years | website=The Archaeologist | date=2022-10-28 | url=https://www.thearchaeologist.org/blog/the-chinese-tutankhamun-whose-tomb-was-untouched-for-3000-years | access-date=2025-05-08}}</ref><ref name="d688">{{cite web | title=The Chinese Tutankhamun Whose Tomb Was Untouched For 3000 Years | website=YouTube | date=2024-03-06 | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1cKMO8w5_Yhttps://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/article/3274009/meet-3-richest-women-chinese-history-one-being-wealthiest-woman-ever | access-date=2025-05-08}}</ref>

==Biography==
King [[Wu Ding]] of Shang cultivated relationships with neighbouring tribes by marrying one woman from each of them. Fu Hao (who was believed to be one of the king's 64 wives) entered the royal household through such a marriage and took advantage of the semi-matriarchal slave society to rise through the ranks<ref name="allWoman">{{cite web|url=http://www.womenofchina.cn/people/women_in_history/1405.jsp |title=Woman General Fu Hao |access-date=August 4, 2007 |publisher=All China Women's Federation |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070214080543/http://www.womenofchina.cn/people/women_in_history/1405.jsp |archive-date=February 14, 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> to become one of King Wu Ding's three consorts. She may have come from the border or from the [[Steppe]], as suggested by the assortment of weapons in her tomb.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Rawson |first1=Jessica |title=Steppe Weapons in Ancient China and the Role of Hand-to-hand Combat |journal=故宮學術季刊 (The National Palace Museum Research Quarterly) |date=2015 |volume=33 |issue=1 |pages=39 |url=https://www.academia.edu/20315661 |quote=The presence of these different weapon types in Fu Hao's tomb has by some been taken as a mark that she came originally from the borders or the steppe, where women were more likely to play a central role in battle. Her status as a leader in war was thus symbolised by the axes, her homeland by the knife.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Bunker |first1=Emma C. |last2=Watt |first2=James C. Y. |last3=Sun |first3=Zhixin |title=Nomadic Art of the Eastern Eurasian Steppes: The Eugene V. Thaw and Other New York Collections |date=2002 |publisher=Metropolitan Museum of Art |location=New York |isbn=9780300096880 |page=76 |url=https://cdn.sanity.io/files/cctd4ker/production/d27f6a71fecdde776eef21c1d59d30492dde11e6.pdf}}</ref>

The other two wives were [[Fu Jing (Shang dynasty)|Fu Jing]] ({{lang|zh|婦妌}}) and Fu Shi ({{lang|zh|婦嬕}}).{{efn|Fu Shi can also be called Fu Yi ({{lang|zh|婦睪}}), and she is often referred to in the oracle bones as Bigui ({{lang|zh|妣癸}}).}} Fu Jing was the primary queen while Fu Hao was the secondary queen. Fu Hao was also the mother of Prince [[Zu Ji]]. Oracle bone inscriptions show concern for her well-being at the time of the birth.

[[File:Shang Jade Human Figure.jpg|thumb|Jade human figure, tomb of Queen Fu Hao. The design is probably a derivation from the Central Asian [[Seima-Turbino culture]].<ref name="LM">{{cite journal |last1=Lin |first1=Meicun |title=Seima-Turbino Culture and the Proto-Silk Road |journal=Chinese Cultural Relics |date=2016 |volume=3 |issue=1–002 |pages=256–257 |url=https://www.academia.edu/45055541 |issn=2330-5169 |quote=The report on the archaeological excavation of the Yin (Shang) ruins published in 2011 shows a Seima-Turbino style bronze socketed spearhead with a single side hook. (...) It is worth noting that a jade figurine (Figure 15:5) that resembles a Seima-Turbino-style bronze figurine (Figure 15:3) and a knife with deer-head pommel (Figure 15:6) were unearthed from the tomb of Fu Hao at the Yin ruins. A similar knife with deer-head pommel is also in the collection of the Baoji Museum of Bronze Collections (Figure 12:4). These discoveries and collected artifacts reveal the cultural transmission between ancient inhabitants of the Yellow River region and nomads of the Eurasian Steppe.(...) The Illustrious Ancestor [King Gaozong of Yin] disciplines the Devil’s Country. After three years he conquers it.” (...) Seima-Turbino-style artifacts unearthed at the Yin ruins, including the bronze socketed spearhead with a single side hook, the jade figurine and the knife with deer-head pommel, indicate that the “Devil’s Country” refers to the far-away Altai Mountains.}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Meicun |first1=Lin |last2=Liu |first2=Xiang |title=The origins of metallurgy in China |journal=Antiquity |date=October 2017 |volume=91 |issue=359 |pages=e6 |doi=10.15184/aqy.2017.177 |language=en |issn=0003-598X|doi-access=free }}</ref> ]]

The activities of priestess and ritual matters of China only exist in the Shang dynasty, so some evidence is vague. Since each Chinese character like ''Fu'' ({{lang|zh|婦}}) often has variable meanings, even with the oracle bones of Shang deciphered, it is possible that women like Fu Hao were originally priestesses instead of the king's wives; she just happened to marry the king later. That is to say, the meaning of "wife" in some contexts may actually refer to a position as priestess.

Fu Hao owned her land. According to the oracle bones, she offered the king remarkably valuable tributes many times. Although the Shang king had control over ritual matters, which constituted the most important political activity of the day, oracle bone inscriptions show that Wu Ding repeatedly instructed Fu Hao to conduct the most special rituals and to offer sacrifices to the ancestors. The Shang dynasty had two most important activities: ritual matters and battles; Lady Hao played extraordinary roles in both at that time.

== Military role ==
Fu Hao is known to modern scholars mainly from inscriptions on [[Shang dynasty]] [[oracle bone]] artifacts unearthed at [[Yinxu]].<ref name="britMus">{{cite web |url = http://www.ancientchina.co.uk/staff/resources/background/bg7/bg7pdf.pdf |title = The Tomb of Lady Fu Hao |publisher = [[British Museum]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160327180140/http://www.ancientchina.co.uk/staff/resources/background/bg7/bg7pdf.pdf |archive-date=2016-03-27}}</ref> From these inscriptions and from the presence of weapons in her tomb, it can be determined that Fu Hao was a general in charge of several military campaigns for the Shang dynasty.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xQiJWZNQZfgC&q=lady+hao&pg=PR7|title=Images of Women in Chinese Thought and Culture: Writings from the Pre-Qin Period Through the Song Dynasty|last=Wang|first=Robin|date=2003|publisher=Hackett Publishing|isbn=978-0872206519|language=en}}</ref>

In her military role, she was responsible for conquering enemies and neighbours of the Shang dynasty.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=f_HDWG-OaLwC&q=lady+hao&pg=PA59|title=Ancient Queens: Archaeological Explorations|last=Nelson|first=Sarah M.|date=2003|publisher=Rowman Altamira|isbn=9780759103467|language=en}}</ref> The Tufang ({{lang|zh|土方}}) had fought against the Shang for generations until they were finally defeated by Fu Hao in a single decisive battle. Further campaigns against the neighbouring [[Yi people|Yi]], [[Qiang (historical people)|Qiang]] and [[Ba people|Ba]] followed; the latter is particularly remembered for being the earliest recorded large-scale ambush in Chinese history.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cMXP9RO0DVMC&q=lady+hao+military&pg=PA257|title=In Pursuit of Gender: Worldwide Archaeological Approaches|last1=Nelson|first1=Sarah M.|last2=Rosen-Ayalon|first2=Myriam|date=2002|publisher=Rowman Altamira|isbn=9780759100879|language=en}}</ref> With up to 13,000 soldiers and important generals Zhi and Hou Gao serving under her, she was the most powerful Shang general of her time.<ref name="colorQWorld">{{cite web|url=http://www.colorq.org/Articles/article.aspx?d=asianwomen&x=fuhao|title=Fu Hao – Queen and top general of King Wuding of Shang|publisher=Color Q World|access-date=August 4, 2007}}</ref>

This highly unusual status is confirmed by the many weapons, including great battle-axes, unearthed in her tomb.<ref name="washUni1" />

While Fu Hao's achievements were notable and unique, other women in this period were also active in military roles; in a similar manner [[Fu Jing (Shang dynasty)|Fu Jing]] was also thought to have served in the military based on the presence of many weapons and military equipment in her tomb. Oracle bones also revealed records of at least six hundred women participating in the military during this era.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kJ4ECwAAQBAJ|title=Notable Women of China: Shang Dynasty to the Early Twentieth Century|last=Peterson|first=Barbara Bennett|date=2016-09-16|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781317463726|language=en}}</ref>

==Tomb==
{{main|Tomb of Fu Hao}}
[[File:Fu Hao Tomb, c. 1200 BC, Reign of King Wu Ding, Shang Dynasty 3.jpg|thumb|upright=2|Fu Hao's tomb, museum display]]
Remarkably, after her death Fu Hao was buried in a tomb on her land across the river from the main royal cemetery, even though usually the royal families were buried together. She died well in advance of King Wu Ding, who constructed her tomb at his capital [[Yin (city)|Yin]].

Because of its location, Lady Hao's tomb is the only royal Shang tomb to have been left unnoticed and unlooted, giving unique insights into her life and the burial practices of the time.  The King later made many sacrifices there in hopes of receiving her spiritual assistance in defeating the attacking Gong, who threatened to wipe out the Shang completely. This shows his great favor towards Hao and after her death, he had her married to the three greatest kings before him.<ref name="allWoman" /> The tomb was unearthed by archaeologists in 1976 and is now open to the public.

The tomb itself was only a {{convert|5.6|by|4|m|ft|adj=on|sp=us}} pit that contains a smaller, {{convert|5|m|ft|adj=mid|-long|sp=us}}, {{convert|3.5|m|ft|adj=mid|-wide|sp=us}}, and {{convert|1.3|m|ft|adj=mid|-high|sp=us}} wooden structure within. The inside was packed with burial sacrifices and wealth which signified Lady Hao's prodigious position.

She was buried with a large and varied quantity of weapons signifying her important martial status, since only warriors and generals were buried with such objects. Additionally, Fu Hao was entombed with hundreds of bronze, jade, bone, and stone objects such as figurines, vessels, and mirrors, many of which were rare objects from around the kingdom. These objects are some of the best preserved from that time period. The sacrificial bronze vessels and tortoise shells inscribed ''prepared by Fu Hao'' discovered in her tomb are further evidence of her status as a high priestess and oracle caster.<ref name="washUni1"/> As was the custom during the Shang dynasty, Fu Hao was buried with 16 human sacrifices and six dogs.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://depts.washington.edu/chinaciv/archae/2fuhmain.htm|title=FU HAO'S TOMB|website=depts.washington.edu|access-date=2018-10-25}}</ref> The remains of Fu Hao herself were found to have disintegrated.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://education.asianart.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2019/09/Ancient-China-Color-PDF.pdf|title=Ancient China: From the Neolothic Period to the Han Dynasty|website=asianart.org|access-date=2022-02-24}}</ref>

=== Contents of tomb ===
[[File:Knife with animal-head Pommel (Fuhao tomb), horizontal.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|Ibex-headed knife with ring, 13th-11th century BCE, found in Fu Hao's tomb. These weapons are similar to those of the steppes.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Rawson |first1=Jessica |title=Steppe Weapons in Ancient China and the Role of Hand-to-hand Combat |journal=故宮學術季刊 (The National Palace Museum Research Quarterly) |date=2015 |volume=33 |issue=1 |pages=38–39 |url=https://www.academia.edu/20315661 |quote=We can immediately recognise the engagement of the Shang with their neighbours by looking at the nearly two hundred weapons buried with Fu Hao, who, as consort of the powerful Shang king, Wu Ding (c. 1200 BC), is mentioned in oracle bone inscriptions as a leader in battle. In her tomb were large axes (fig. 1a), derived from the shapes of ancient jade examples, standard spearheads and dagger-axes, ge, for an accompanying fighting force, and knives (fig. 1b) similar to those used in the steppe.}}</ref>]]
In total, Fu Hao was buried with:<ref>{{Cite journal|last=YANG|first=BIN|date=2011|title=The Rise and Fall of Cowrie Shells: The Asian Story|journal=Journal of World History|volume=22|issue=1|pages=1–25|jstor=23011676|doi=10.1353/jwh.2011.0011|s2cid=162003115}}</ref> 
 	
* 755 jade objects
* 564 bone objects, including nearly 500 bone hairpins and over 20 bone arrowheads
* 468 bronze objects, including 130 weapons, 23 bells, 27 knives, 4 mirrors, and 4 tigers or tiger heads
* 63 stone objects
* 5 ivory objects
* 11 pottery objects
* 7,000 pieces of [[cowry shell]] (Shang dynasty currency)
* 16 human sacrifices
* 6 dogs

== See also ==
*[[Shang dynasty]]
*[[Tomb of Fu Hao]]
*[[Women in ancient and imperial China]]
*[[Tutankhamun]]
*[[Tomb of Tutankhamun]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
*{{cite book|editor-last1=Loewe | editor-first1=Michael| editor-last2=Shaughnessy| editor-first2=Edward L. | editor1-link = Michael Loewe | editor2-link = Edward L. Shaughnessy |title=The Cambridge History of Ancient China: From the Origins of Civilization to 221 BC |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cHA7Ey0-pbEC&pg=PA194| date= 1999 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=London| isbn=978-0-521-47030-8 | pages= 124–231 | doi= 10.1017/CHOL9780521470308.005 | author-last= Bagley | author-first= Robert | author-link= Robert Bagley | chapter = Shang Dynasty Archaeology | title-link= Cambridge History of Ancient China}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite encyclopedia |last=Allan |first=Sarah |editor-last=Smith |editor-first=Bonnie G. |editor-link=Bonnie G. Smith |year=2008 |title=Fu Hao |encyclopedia=The Oxford Encyclopedia Women in World History |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |location=Oxford |isbn=978-0-19-514890-9 |url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780195148909.001.0001/acref-9780195148909-e-361 |url-access=subscription | author-link= Sarah Allan}} {{subscription required}}

{{Queens of Shang|state=collapsed}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hao, Fu}}
[[Category:Chinese women in politics]]
[[Category:13th-century BC Chinese women]]
[[Category:13th-century BC Chinese people]]
[[Category:13th-century BC clergy]]
[[Category:Shang dynasty people]]
[[Category:Chinese nobility]]
[[Category:Women in ancient Chinese warfare]]
[[Category:Ancient priestesses]]
[[Category:Chinese female generals]]
[[Category:Chinese generals]]
[[Category:Deaths in childbirth]]
[[Category:Chinese royal consorts]]
[[Category:13th-century BC deaths]]
[[Category:Year of birth unknown]]
[[Category:Year of death uncertain]]