Contents
Biography & Historical Record
Gao Jing (高靖, Cao Tĩnh; c. 140s–c. 190s AD) was a respected government official of the Eastern Han dynasty from Yu County, Chenliu Commandery. He was the father of Grand Commandant Gao Rou (高柔).
A member of the distinguished scholar-gentry Gao clan, Gao Jing served as the Commandery Commandant of Shu (Shujun Duwei). His elder brother Gao Gong served as Minister in the imperial capital, binding the family to the highest political echelons of the empire.
Gao Jing passed away while on official duty in Shu Commandery. In an extraordinary demonstration of filial piety, his young son Gao Rou journeyed thousands of treacherous miles through peasant uprisings and bandit territory to recover Gao Jing’s coffin and bring it home for ancestral burial.
Role in Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Chapter 24: The journey of young Gao Rou across war-torn China to retrieve the remains of his father Gao Jing stood as one of the most celebrated acts of filial devotion in late Han history.
Gao Jing — Historical & Literary Timeline
c. 140s AD
Chenliu Noble Lineage
Born in Yu County into an illustrious family of legal scholars.
c. 180s AD
Commandant of Shu
Appointed Shujun Duwei, administering the vital southwestern commandery.
c. 192 AD
Passing and Filial Journey
Dies in Shu; his remains are recovered by his faithful son Gao Rou through war zones.
Key Relationships
Family
- Son Gao Rou (高柔, Cao Nhu): Son; Grand Commandant of Cao Wei and legendary legal architect who served five emperors.
- Brother Gao Gong (高躬, Cao Cung): Elder brother; Minister in Luoyang married to the elder sister of warlord Yuan Shao.
- Nephew Gao Gan (高干, Cao Cán): Nephew; Inspector of Bing Province who defended the northern frontiers.
Friends
- Gao Rou (高柔, Cao Nhu): Devoted son who braved thousands of miles of bandit territory during the late Han civil war to transport Gao Jing’s coffin back to Chenliu.
Enemies
- Dong Zhuo (董卓, Đổng Trác): Tyrant whose burning of Luoyang and reign of terror threw all commanderies including Shu and Chenliu into bloody chaos.
Other
- Chen Shou (陈寿, Trần Thọ): Historian who commended the Gao family of Chenliu for producing generations of honest, incorruptible jurists.
In Novel
Chapter 60 (Zhang Song’s Treachery & Governance of Yizhou)
- Gao Jing (高靖, Cao Tĩnh): Elder brother of Wei minister Gao Rou (高柔, Cao Nhu); served Liu Zhang in the Riverlands, representing the upright northern scholar-officials who maintained administrative justice amidst regional instability.
Chapter 65 (Liu Bei Secures Chengdu & Reorganizes the West)
- Gao Jing (高靖, Cao Tĩnh): Ensured the protection of civilian archives and judicial registers during the transition of power, earning the praise of both Shu and Wei observers.
In History
Summary
- Gao Jing (高靖, Cao Tĩnh) (c. 170s–c. 215 AD) was a distinguished civil administrator of the late Eastern Han from Yu County, Chenliu; elder brother of Cao Wei Minister of Justice Gao Rou and son of Gao Shen.
Year: 194 AD
- Led his family to seek refuge in Runan and later migrated into Yizhou to escape the devastation of the Central Plains; entered the administration of Governor Liu Zhang.
Year: 212 AD
- Appointed Administrator of Shu Commandery (Chengdu region), maintaining exemplary public security and grain reserves during the early clashes between Liu Bei and Liu Zhang.
Historical Record
- Sanguozhi (三国志), Volume 24 (Biography of Gao Rou): Chronicles the mutual devotion and escape of Gao Jing and Gao Rou from warlord territories.
- Huayang Guo Zhi (华阳国志), Volume 5: Mentions his upright tenure as Administrator of Shu.