Zhang Bao (simplified: 张苞, traditional: 張苞, pinyin: Zhāng Bāo) was the eldest son of Zhang Fei, one of the Five Tiger Generals of Shu Han. The historical record states only that he died young (早夭), before his younger brother Zhang Shao inherited their father’s marquisate. Zhang Bao had a son, Zhang Zun, who served as Master of Writing (尚書) under Shu Han and was killed at the Battle of Mianzhu in 263 CE during the Wei conquest of Shu. Despite his minimal presence in the historical record, Zhang Bao was transformed by Luo Guanzhong’s Romance of the Three Kingdoms into a prominent military figure who fought alongside Guan Xing in Zhuge Liang’s Northern Expeditions.
Biography
Family background
Zhang Bao was the eldest son of Zhang Fei (d. 221 CE), courtesy name Yide (翼德), one of the most celebrated generals of the Three Kingdoms period. Zhang Fei had been one of Liu Bei’s earliest and most loyal followers, joining him before the Yellow Turban Rebellion and remaining with him through decades of warfare. He was known for his bravery, ferocity in battle, and close friendship with Guan Yu.
Zhang Bao’s mother was Lady Xiahou (夏侯氏), the niece of Xiahou Yuan, one of Cao Cao’s most senior generals. Lady Xiahou’s story is remarkable: as a young woman, she left the city to gather firewood and was captured by Zhang Fei, who took her as his wife. She bore Zhang Fei two daughters—both of whom would become empresses of Shu Han, marrying Liu Shan (Liu Bei’s son and successor)—as well as at least two sons, Zhang Bao and Zhang Shao.
The Xiahou-Zhang connection is one of the most interesting family relationships of the Three Kingdoms period. Despite the enmity between Shu Han and Cao Wei, the marriage between Zhang Fei and Lady Xiahou created a cross-factional family link that would have political consequences decades later. When Xiahou Ba, a son of Xiahou Yuan, defected to Shu Han in 249 CE, he was welcomed in part because of his family connection to the Shu empresses (his cousin’s daughters).
Early death
The Sanguozhi records Zhang Bao’s life in a single phrase: ‘Eldest son Bao, died early’ (長子苞，早夭). This brevity is striking given the prominence of his father. Zhang Bao died before his father’s death in 221 CE, or at least before Zhang Fei’s posthumous honours and marquisate could be settled.
Because Zhang Bao died young, he never held any official position under Shu Han. The historical record provides no information about his age at death, the cause of death, or any accomplishments he may have had. The phrase ‘died early’ (早夭) typically implies death in childhood or early adulthood, suggesting that Zhang Bao may have been quite young when he died.
After Zhang Bao’s death, his younger brother Zhang Shao became the heir to Zhang Fei’s legacy. Zhang Shao inherited his father’s marquisate (Marquis of Xi 西鄉侯) and served as Palace Attendant (侍中) and later as Master of Writing (僕射) under Liu Shan. When Shu Han fell to Wei in 263 CE, Zhang Shao accompanied Liu Shan in the surrender and was subsequently enfeoffed by the Jin dynasty.
Son: Zhang Zun
Although Zhang Bao died young, he had a son named Zhang Zun (張遵). Zhang Zun served as Master of Writing (尚書) under Shu Han and was killed in 263 CE at the Battle of Mianzhu, fighting alongside Zhuge Zhan (Zhuge Liang’s son) against the Wei forces led by Deng Ai. Zhang Zun’s death at Mianzhu, alongside the son of Zhuge Liang, represents the end of the second generation of Shu Han’s founding families—the sons and grandsons of the men who had built the Shu state dying in its final battle.
The fact that Zhang Bao had a son before his early death suggests that he may have died in his late teens or early twenties rather than in childhood, though this is uncertain.
In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Luo Guanzhong’s Romance of the Three Kingdoms dramatically reimagines Zhang Bao’s life. In the novel, Zhang Bao does not die young but instead grows up to be a formidable general in his own right, closely modelled on his father.
Brotherhood with Guan Xing
One of the most famous elements of the Romance is the sworn brotherhood between Zhang Bao and Guan Xing (Guan Yu’s son). After their fathers’ deaths—Zhang Fei was assassinated in 221 CE, and Guan Yu was captured and executed by Wu in 220 CE—the two young men meet and swear to avenge their fathers. They become inseparable companions, fighting together in Zhuge Liang’s Northern Expeditions.
This brotherhood is one of the novel’s most emotionally resonant elements, representing the continuation of the legendary friendship between their fathers. The relationship between Guan Yu and Zhang Fei was one of the defining bonds of the Three Kingdoms, and the Romance extends this bond to the next generation.
Military career in the novel
In the Romance, Zhang Bao is portrayed as a brave and capable general who fights with his father’s signature weapon, the Serpent Spear (丈八蛇矛). He participates in:
- The campaign against the southern tribes (the Southern Campaign)
- The first and second Northern Expeditions against Wei
- Various battles against Wei generals
His military career in the novel is cut short when he falls into a ravine during a pursuit of enemy forces and suffers a severe head injury. He is taken back to Chengdu to recover but dies shortly after. The news of his death causes Zhuge Liang to vomit blood and fall ill—a dramatic indication of the emotional impact of Zhang Bao’s death on the Shu leadership.
This fictional death scene is one of the most moving passages in the novel, as it marks the passing of another generation of heroes and foreshadows the eventual decline of Shu Han.
Historical vs. fictional Zhang Bao
The contrast between the historical and fictional Zhang Bao is stark. In history, he died young and left no mark on events. In the Romance, he is a major military figure whose death is a significant emotional moment. This transformation reflects Luo Guanzhong’s literary technique: he took the bare facts of history and filled them with dramatic narrative, creating characters and events that served the emotional and thematic needs of the story.
The fictional Zhang Bao serves several purposes in the novel:
- He represents the continuation of the Zhang Fei legacy
- His brotherhood with Guan Xing extends the Guan-Zhang friendship to a new generation
- His death symbolises the gradual decline of Shu Han’s founding families
See also
External links
- 张苞 on Baidu Baike
References
- Chen Shou. Sanguozhi (三国志), ‘Zhang Fei biography’ (張飛傳). 3rd century.
- Luo Guanzhong. Romance of the Three Kingdoms (三国演义), chapters 81–99. 14th century.
- de Crespigny, Rafe. A Biographical Dictionary of Later Han to the Three Kingdoms. Leiden: Brill, 2007.