Empress Dowager Bo (薄太后),personal name lost into history, was an imperial concubine of Emperor Gaozu of Han. She was also known as Consort Bo (薄姬) during the life of the Emperor, and more formally as either Empress Dowager Xiaowen (孝文太后) or (rarer) Empress Gao (高皇后). Despite being a concubine of lower standing, her son, Liu Heng, became Emperor Wen of Han, cementing her place in history. The year of her birth is not known. She died on 9 June 155 BC.
Statue of Consort Bo (front), part of a series of statues depicting The Twenty-four Filial Exemplars
Emperor Gaozu of Han, also known by his given name Liu Bang (劉邦), was the founder and first emperor of the Han dynasty, reigning from 202 to 195 BC. He is considered by traditional Chinese historiography to be one the greatest emperors in history, credited with establishing the Pax Sinica, one of China's longest golden ages.
Posthumous depiction from the Ming dynasty
Liu Bang, in an illustration by Qing dynasty artist Shangguan Zhou 上官周 (1665–1749)
A Western Han female dancer in silk robes, 2nd century BC, Metropolitan Museum of Art; Xiang Zhuang intended to assassinate Liu Bang by pretending to do a sword dance
A portrait painting of Emperor Gao of Han (Liu Bang), from an 18th-century Qing dynasty album of Chinese emperors' portraits.[citation needed]
![A portrait painting of Emperor Gao of Han (Liu Bang), from an 18th-century Qing dynasty album of Chinese emperors' portraits.[citation needed]](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/58/Emperor_gao_of_han_c01s06i01.jpg/545px-Emperor_gao_of_han_c01s06i01.jpg)