Zhang Jiao (?-184) was a native of Julu in Hebei (present-day Pingxiang County, Hebei Province) at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty.
He believed in Huang-Lao Taoism, often cured people's illnesses with talisman water, propagated The Taiping Scripture, and called himself "the Great Virtuous and Good Teacher". Together with his younger brothers Zhang Bao and Zhang Liang, he secretly preached among the people.
Within more than ten years, his followers numbered as many as several hundred thousand, spreading across eight provinces including You, Ji, Qing, Xu, Yang, and Yu.
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In the first year of Zhongping (184), with yellow turbans wrapped around their heads as a symbol, he called himself "Heavenly General" and launched the Yellow Turban Uprising. He died of illness shortly afterwards. (Records in Book of the Later Han·Annals of Emperor Ling and Book of the Later Han·Biography of Huangfu Song)
