Map of the Xianbei about 155: the realm of Tanshihuai over the Mongolian steppe, the Southern Xiongnu inside the frontier of the Eastern Han, the protectorate of the Western Regions, the Wusun and the Kushans, and Northern Xiongnu north-west of Kangju as a second reading
c. 155: Under Tanshihuai the Xianbei hold the old land of the Xiongnu in the Mongolian steppe. The Southern Xiongnu live inside the Han frontier, and the Han govern the oases of the west through the protectorate of the Western Regions. A second reading places Northern Xiongnu north-west of Kangju. Modern map; the borders in the steppe are approximate.
Plate VII in the Atlas → © Emre-E Yavuz 2026

And beyond the steppe

  • China Eastern Han Emperor Huan 146–168

Eastern steppe

  • The Xianbei crush the Northern Xiongnu's attempt to recover their old lands; the Northern Xiongnu fade from view

    Xiongnu · Xianbei