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Leadership / Ancient

Emperor Wu of Han

156 BCE — 87 BCE汉武帝

Emperor of China from 141 to 87 BC

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Born156 BCE
BirthplaceChang'an
Fieldspoet
01 / A LIFE IN CONTEXT

The story, in brief.

Emperor Wu of Han, personal name Liu Che and courtesy name Tong, was the seventh emperor of the Han dynasty from 141 to 87 BC. His reign lasted 54 years – a record not broken until the reign of the Kangxi Emperor more than 1,800 years later – and remains the record for ethnic Han emperors. His reign resulted in a vast expansion of geopolitical influence for the Chinese civilization, and the development of a strong centralized state via governmental policies, economical reorganization and promotion of a hybrid Legalist–Confucian doctrine. In the field of historical social and cultural studies, Emperor Wu is known for his religious innovations and patronage of the poetic and musical arts, including the development of the Imperial Music Bureau into a prestigious entity. It was also during his reign that cultural contact with western Eurasia was greatly increased, directly and indirectly.

Introduction from Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full biography ↗

02 / THROUGH THE YEARS

A life in milestones.

Selected records from Wikidata. Ages are approximate; “c.” marks uncertain dates. This is a starting point for exploration, not a complete life history.

This edition has life dates for Emperor Wu of Han; more sourced milestones are still to be added.

  1. 156 BCE
    Life

    Born in Chang'an

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  2. 87 BCE~ age 69

Behind this profile

Sources retrieved 2026-11-01. Dates and milestones: Wikidata contributors, CC0 ↗. Biographical introduction: Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0. Ancient dates and traditional biographies may be disputed; consult the linked records.

Portrait: Unknown authorUnknown author · Public domain · Original and attribution ↗. Display cropped and desaturated.