Jin Midi (Chinese: 金日磾; pinyin: Jīn Mìdī, courtesy name Wengshu, formally Marquess Jing of Du, was a Xiongnu Xiutu prince and a general of the Western Han dynasty. He was referred to as a non-Han "barbarian", either with the term Hu or Yidi. He was originally from the Xiutu Kingdom in central Gansu and served as co-regent early in the reign of the Emperor Zhao of Han. He was given the family name "Jin" by Emperor Wu of Han because he worshipped the golden statue of the Xiongnu which Huo Qubing has captured in his military campaigns.
Jin Midi (kneeling) with his mother (seated). Wu Liang shrine, Jiaxiang, Shandong province, China. 2nd century AD. Ink rubbings of stone-carved reliefs as represented in Feng Yunpeng and Feng Yunyuan, Jinshi suo (金石索, 1821 edition).
8th century fresco at Mogao Caves depicting the Han Emperor Wu worshiping statues of the Buddha.
Tomb of Jin Midi, viewed from the top of the Tomb of Han General Huo Qubing, near Maoling
Xiutu was a king in the Hexi corridor of the Gansu region, west of Wuwei, during the 2nd century BCE. "Xiutu" (休屠) is also an early Chinese transliteration for the name of the Buddha.
Mogao Caves 8th-century mural depicting Emperor Wu of Han worshipping "golden man" statues.
General Ban Chao was a descendant of the Xiongnu King Xiutu.
