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Emperor Ming of Han China

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Emperor Ming of Han China, ch. 漢明帝, py. hàn míng dì, wg. Han Ming-ti, (AD 28 - AD 75) was an emperor of the Chinese Han Dynasty.

One night, he is said to have dreamed of a deity flying over his palace. The next day he told his ministers, and the minister Zhong Hu explained to him that he probably dreamed of Buddha in India. The emperor then sent a delegation of 18 headed by Cai Yin , Qin Jing and Wang Zun to seek Buddhism. They returned from Afghanistan with an image of Gautama Buddha, 42 sutras and two eminent monks. The next year, the emperor ordered the construction of White Horse Temple three li west of the capital Luoyang, to remember the horse that carried back the sutras. It was China's first Buddhist temple.

Emperor Ming also established the control of the Chinese Empire on the Tarim Basin and eradicated the Xiongnu influence there, through the conquests of his general Ban Chao.

Personal information

Family name Liu (劉 liú) in Chinese
Given name Zhuang (莊 py. zhūang)
Era name Yongping (永平 py. yŏng píng) 58-75
Father Emperor Guangwu of Han China (eldest son of)
Mother Empress Yin Lihua
Wife Empress Ma , daughter of military leader Ma Yuan and died childless in 79
Major concubines consort Jia
Children 9 sons
Duration of reign AD 57-AD 75
Tomb
Temple name
Courtesy name
Posthumous name 孝明 (py. xiào míng), literary meaning: "filial and brilliant"
Posthumous name in short 明 (py. míng), literary meaning: "brilliant"
Last updated: 01-04-2007 01:18:57
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