tribal confederation · China, Tibet and Mongolia
Wuhuan
Origins
Like the Xianbei, the Wuhuan were survivors of the Donghu, who took refuge at the Wuhuan mountains after Modu of the Xiongnu destroyed them around 206 BCE. They lived in eastern Inner Mongolia and western Liaoning and paid tribute to the Xiongnu.
Rule and society
After the Han general Huo Qubing defeated the Xiongnu in 119 BCE, the Han Dynasty resettled Wuhuan bands along its frontier commanderies as guards and set up a Protector of the Wuhuan. They were herders and hunters ruled by elected chiefs, without a single king, and Wuhuan cavalry became famous mercenaries in Han wars.
Decline and legacy
In the late 2nd century Wuhuan chiefs such as Tadun allied with the warlord Yuan Shao. In 207 Cao Cao crossed the mountains and killed Tadun at White Wolf Mountain, then moved the Wuhuan into China, where their horsemen served his armies and they gradually merged with the Chinese and the Xianbei.
Lineage
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (3)
- Wuhuan paid tribute to Xiongnu Empire206 BCE – 121 BCE
- Wuhuan paid tribute to Han Dynasty119 BCE – 207 CE
- Wuhuan was conquered by Han Dynasty207 CE
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Wuhuan. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/wuhuan
- MLA
- “Wuhuan.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/wuhuan. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Wuhuan.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/wuhuan.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Wuhuan’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/wuhuan (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻