Lady Fu Hao: Brave Warrior Skilled Strategist And China’s First Female General

A. Sutherland - AncientPages.com - She was a tough warrior and one of the most highly regarded monarchs of the Shang Dynasty (ca 1600-1046 BC). This article is devoted to Lady Fu Hao (ca. 1200 BC), a brave woman who was a remarkable, courageous, and skilled warrior.

China's General - Fu Hao is known mainly for inscriptions on 350 oracle bones of the Shang Dynasty. The oracle bones are the earliest Chinese written records.

She was born at a time when Chinese society was dominated by men and women had their traditional duties in the home.

Lady Fu Hao - China's First Female General of the Shang Dynasty. Source

Instead for staying at home, Lady Fu Hao led military campaigns to protect her kingdom.

She was victorious many times, but the fourth and final military campaign against the Bafang tribe in the southwest part of China was her last. Fu Hao died of exhaustion after a carefully prepared and well-planned ambush, in which the enemy fell instantly.

In "Notable Women of China" by B. Bennett Peterson, we read:

“… this time, sharing command of the army, she [Fu Hao] fought beside her husband. Wu Ding attacked a neighboring tribe allied with the Bafang, and when the Bafang moved to aid them, they fell into a trap by Fu Hao. Again the Shang forces were victorious and Fu Hao was celebrated as the most outstanding military leader of the country. Shortly after returning to Anyang, however, she fell ill from exhaustion. While she was ill, her only son, Xiaoyi, died and she herself died shortly thereafter…”

350 Oracle Bones Of Shang Dynasty Refer To Fu Hao

Fu Hao was the first Chinese female general, a royal consort, a mother, a high priestess and a remarkably skilled strategist. She fought to defend the Shang dynasty in Bronze Age China (ca. 1600–1046 BC).

She was one of the 60 wives of Wu Ding, the dynasty's 21st king, who entered into matrimonial alliances with bordering clans to consolidate his kingdom. Practically, Fu Hao was not one of the many wives because she rose to prominence due to her courage and high intelligence, winning the king's confidence.

When she died at around 1200 BC, Wu Ding and her husband, built a tomb for her on the edge of the royal cemetery in the Shang capital of Yinxu.

Fu Hao is known mainly from inscriptions on 350 oracle bones of the Shang Dynasty. The oracle bones are the earliest Chinese written records. From these inscriptions and from the presence of weapons and other artifacts discovered in her tomb, it can be determined that Fu Hao was a general responsible for several successful military campaigns for the Shang Dynasty.

Trusted General Fu Hao Led Many Campaigns

“It appears she not only directed her own troops but also served as the ancient Chinese version of a task force commander in campaigns that included forces led by other generals. She participated in virtually every important military campaign at the height of Wu Ding’s reign.

Lady Fu Hao personally asked for and received a commission to lead her large army to the north to challenge the dangerous Tu Fang, a tribe of invaders from the north who had been a problem since the beginning of the reign of Wu Ding.

For a year and a half, Fu Hao and other Shang generals, including Wu Ding himself, led repeated assaults against the troublesome tribe of Tu Fang. With the Tu Fang defeated, Fu Hao then led Shang forces against other attacking forces. She was victorious once again.

She Had His Husband King Wu Ding’s Full Confidence

Wu Ding had such faith in her skills as a warrior that he gave her a fiefdom on the borders of his kingdom. She was to defend the borders and launch assaults against other tribes from her stronghold.

Fu Hao was highly respected and obviously had the king's ultimate confidence.

Curious Location Of Lady Fu Hao's Tomb

Strangely, after Fu Hao died, she was buried in a tomb across the river from the main royal cemetery. This was unusual because it was common practice during the time to bury all members of the royal family together.

She died before King Wu Ding, and he constructed a tomb for her at his capital Yin. Because of its location, her tomb is the only royal Shang tomb to have been left undisturbed and never looted. It was located in the vicinity of Anyang, the site of the Shang capital in modern Henan province, China in 1976.

Inside the pit, there was evidence of a wooden chamber 5 meters (16 feet) long, 3.5 meters (11 feet) wide, and 1.3 meters (4.3 feet) high. The chamber contained a large number of funerary goods including ivory artifacts, pottery, more than 2,000 jade, a bronze battle ax (a symbol of her military authority), a hundred of other weapons. The bronze goods alone totaled 1.6 metric tons.

After the death of his wife, Wu Ding made a number of sacrifices in the location of her tomb. He needed her spiritual assistance in defeating other enemies who planned to wipe out completely the Shang Dynasty.

Written by – A. Sutherland  - AncientPages.com Senior Staff Writer

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