Gu Ban

漢書

"漢書" by Gu Ban is a historical work completed in 111 CE. Spanning the Western Han dynasty from 206 BCE to 23 CE, it chronicles emperors, officials, and cultural achievements in annals-biography form. Composed by Ban Gu with his sister Ban Zhao after their father's death, this pioneering single-dynasty history became the model for all subsequent Chinese dynastic histories. It remains the primary—sometimes only—source for understanding this crucial period.