Zhao Fan was the minister of the Court of the Imperial Stud. The emperor Wuzong named him in 843 to console the Kirghiz country.[1] The Xin Tang Shu says that Wuzong was delighted by the first Kirghiz envoy to reach the court. He ordered Zhao Fan to go with the tally and comfort the Kirghiz nation.[1]

The envoy of 843

The Zizhi tongjian dates his appointment to the third month of 843, between 4 April and 2 May. It calls him pacification commissioner to the Kirghiz.[2] On the same occasion, it says, the emperor told Li Deyu to write a letter to the Kirghiz khan.[2] The letter names Zhao Fan as the envoy who would carry it.[3]

The envoy Zhu-wu Alp Sol reached Chang’an on 16 March 843. The emperor ordered Zhao Fan to offer him libations and gifts.[3] This has been read as a sign that the first letter was never sent out.[3] The envoy seems to have spoken first with Zhao Fan of a Kirghiz and Tang campaign into the Tarim basin. They talked either on the road to Chang’an or by advance notice.[4] On 13 March 843 the emperor ordered Li Deyu and the high officials to discuss the plan. It had been put to him in a memorial of Zhao Fan.[4] The memorial does not survive.[4] The campaign was dropped after Li Deyu’s answer. Turkic Atlas tells it under the embassies.

Limits of the record

The Xin Tang Shu does not say that Zhao Fan reached the Kirghiz country. It records nothing else of his life, his family or his death.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c Xin Tangshu (New Book of Tang), juan 217
  2. ^ a b Drompp 2005, p. 136
  3. ^ a b c Drompp 2005, p. 131
  4. ^ a b c Drompp 2005, p. 132

Sources

Literature

  • Michael R. Drompp, Tang China and the Collapse of the Uighur Empire: A Documentary History (2005)

Related

What links here3

Persons
Emperor Wuzong of Tang · Zhu-wu Alp Sol
Institutions and Titles
Envoys and Embassies

Cite this article

Yavuz, Emre-E. “Zhao Fan.” Turkic Atlas, revised 7 November 2026. https://turkicatlas.org/persons/zhao-fan/

Last revised: 7 November 2026