Person

Zhao Tuo

d. 137 BCE · 2nd century BCE

Zhao Tuo was a Qin general sent to conquer the far south who founded the kingdom of Nanyue, with its capital at Panyu (Guangzhou), in 204 BCE. Ruling Chinese settlers and Yue peoples, he adopted local customs, accepted Han overlordship in 196 BCE and later styled himself emperor. He is said to have reigned for some seventy years before his death in 137 BCE.

Zhao Tuo
Image: David Chen (Iamdavidtheking 11:50, 10 September 2007 (UTC)) · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 2 state histories

Au LacNanyue

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Zhao Tuo. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/zhao-tuo
MLA
“Zhao Tuo.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/zhao-tuo. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Zhao Tuo.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/zhao-tuo.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Zhao Tuo’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/zhao-tuo (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻