The Origins of a Royal Obsession

The reign of Emperor Wu of Han (141–87 BCE) is often celebrated for its military conquests and cultural achievements, but it was also marred by a dark undercurrent—the pervasive fear of witchcraft (wugu). This obsession would shape court politics, claim countless lives, and ultimately contribute to one of the most tragic episodes in Han history.

The first recorded wugu incident occurred early in Emperor Wu’s reign, involving his first empress, Chen Jiao. Famed for the “Golden House” promise of their youth, Chen Jiao fell from favor due to her inability to bear a son. Consumed by jealousy toward Emperor Wu’s new favorite, Consort Wei Zifu, Chen resorted to hiring a shaman named Chu Fu to craft cursed wooden figurines inscribed with the names of her rivals. When the plot was uncovered, Chu Fu was executed, and Empress Chen was deposed. At this stage, the young and vigorous Emperor Wu treated the matter as an isolated case of palace intrigue.

The Descent Into Paranoia

Decades of warfare, political strife, and failed quests for immortality took their toll. By his later years, Emperor Wu—once a dynamic ruler—had become frail and suspicious. His declining health fueled a conviction that he was the target of supernatural malice. The wugu scare evolved from a tool of petty revenge into a weapon of mass persecution.

The turning point came in 96 BCE when General Gongsun Ao, a decorated veteran of the Xiongnu campaigns, was accused of witchcraft by his own wife. The entire Gongsun clan was executed. This set a precedent: accusations of wugu became a convenient way to eliminate political rivals. Soon after, another war hero, Chancellor Gongsun He, was ensnared. His son, Gongsun Jingsheng, had embezzled military funds—a crime punishable by death. In a desperate bid to save his son, Gongsun He captured the outlaw Zhu Anshi, only for Zhu to retaliate by accusing the Gongsun family of treasonous witchcraft. The emperor, already primed for suspicion, ordered a brutal purge. By 91 BCE, Gongsun He, his son, and even Emperor Wu’s own daughters (Princesses Yangshi and Zhuyi) were dead.

The Manipulation of Fear

The real architect of the crisis, however, was Jiang Chong, a ruthless official who recognized Emperor Wu’s vulnerability. Playing on the emperor’s terror of诅咒, Jiang launched a citywide witch hunt. With a team of “experts,” he “discovered” cursed effigies buried beneath homes—including, fatefully, the residence of Crown Prince Liu Ju.

The prince, son of the aging Emperor Wu and Empress Wei, had long been at odds with Jiang Chong. Recognizing the accusation as a death sentence, Liu Ju staged a desperate coup, killing Jiang but triggering a catastrophic chain reaction. Miscommunication and panic led Emperor Wu to believe his son had rebelled. The resulting battle in the streets of Chang’an left tens of thousands dead. The crown prince fled but was eventually cornered and took his own life. Empress Wei, stripped of her title, followed suit.

The Human Cost and Historical Reckoning

The wugu purges were not merely a political tool—they reflected deeper anxieties in Han society. Emperor Wu’s fear of mortality, combined with the court’s belief in supernatural forces, created fertile ground for paranoia. The scandal exposed the fragility of imperial power: even the Son of Heaven could be manipulated by those who controlled the narrative of “evil magic.”

In the aftermath, Emperor Wu faced a bitter reckoning. A village elder, Hu Mao, risked his life to petition the emperor, arguing that the crown prince had acted in self-defense. Though privately moved, Emperor Wu hesitated to publicly admit error—until it was too late. The tragedy left the empire without an heir, forcing a late-life succession crisis.

Legacy: Power, Fear, and the Supernatural

The wugu scandals underscore how superstition and state power intertwined in ancient China. For modern historians, they serve as a case study in the dangers of unchecked authority and the weaponization of belief. Emperor Wu’s reign, though glorious, ended in a haze of bloodshed and regret—a cautionary tale about the price of obsession.

The events also reshaped Han politics. With the crown prince dead, Emperor Wu eventually chose his youngest son, Liu Fuling, as successor—a decision that led to the regency of Huo Guang and a new era of court dominance by powerful ministers. The wugu terror, in effect, altered the dynasty’s trajectory.

Today, the term wugu remains synonymous with political persecution driven by irrational fear. The scars left on Emperor Wu’s legacy remind us that even the mightiest rulers are vulnerable to the demons they create.