ReflectionsHow Imperial China’s armed escorts became the stuff of legend
In imperial China, services of armed martial artists, or biaoju, ensured delivery on risky routes. Their image has since been romanticised
I was watching a “C-drama”, or Chinese television drama, on Netflix and found myself silently questioning why I had to sit through a sluggish 20-minute set piece that could have been done and dusted in two. At that moment, the person who had persuaded me to watch the period potboiler asked, “What is a biaoju?”, referring to a key plot device in the show.
China’s armed escort services, known as biaoju, grew out of a very practical problem: getting from point A to point B without being robbed or even killed along the way.
In the late imperial period between the late 14th and early 20th centuries, long-distance travel could be risky business. Merchants transporting silver and goods often had to pass through remote areas where banditry was a real threat. Hiring tough, skilled fighters for protection became necessary.
Biaoju were organised businesses, the most famous of which were linked to Shanxi merchants, who were deeply involved in early banking and long-distance trade.
These escort firms operated a bit like today’s logistics companies, except their “delivery guarantee” depended on swords, spears and fighting skills rather than tracking numbers. If a shipment went missing, it wasn’t just a financial loss; it could destroy an escort agency’s credibility overnight.
Aside from protecting goods and silver, they also escorted people, from wealthy merchants to officials travelling across provinces.