Lu Bode

Who is Lu Bode?

Lu Bode was a military leader during the Western Han Dynasty period of Chinese history.

Originally from Pingzhou in the Xihe region of western China, in 119 BCE Emperor Wu of Han (汉武帝）dispatched Lu along with Huo Qubing on an expedition north to attack the Xiongnu. After a successful campaign Lu was appointed the first top tier Han general or Fubo, literally translated as a "subduer of the waves", a title later awarded to other illustrious military leaders such as Ma Yuan. Thereafter Lu led an army to subdue the southern kingdom of Nanyue and in 111 BCE attacked the island of Hainan off the south eastern coast of the Chinese mainland. After a successful assault, he divided the new territory into the twin prefectures of Zhuya and Dan'er thus making Hainan island part of China for the first time.

Despite this success, Lu was later demoted for an unspecified transgression and died not long afterwards.