Laoshang Chanyu

Who is Laoshang Chanyu?

Laoshang Chanyu, whose proper name was Jizhu, was a Chanyu of the Xiongnu, the successor to Modu Chanyu. During his reign the expansion of Xiongnu power expanded; the Yuezhi were defeated, and the Xiongnu thus gained control of the Hexi region.

Laoshang in Chinese means 'old and elevated' and is probably a translation from a Xiongnu title, but might represent an attempt to phonetically represent a Xiongnu word.

In 162 BCE, under Jizhu Chanyu, the Xiongnu defeated the Yuezhi for the fourth time. After this defeat, the majority of the Yuezhi fled to the northwest and settled in the region of the Ili River, while a smaller group fled into the southern mountains and settled amongst some of the Qiang tribes there.

The Shiji chap. 110 says:

"Shortly after this, Maodun died and his son Jizhu was set up with the title of Old Shanyu. When Jizhu became Shanyu [in 174 BCE], Emperor Wen sent a princess of the imperial family to be his consort, dispatching a eunuch from Yan named Zhonghang Yue to accompany her as her tutor.