Abstract: Emperor Wu of Han（汉武帝）had two images - a tyrant and a hero - in Song Dynasty，which are connected not only with his own complex personalities，but also the revival of Confucianism and military confrontations among several nationalities at the time. Since Song scholars idealize those times of the Three Generations（三代）and monarchs of Yao（尧） and Shun（舜），mainstream ideology regarded Emperor Wu of Han as a tyrant like the First Emperor of Qin. Nevertheless，Song monarchs and Xindang（新党）and Nandu（南渡）officers，from the view of political consideration and for the purpose of overcoming crisis，highlighted his image of a hero in a biased and utilitarian manner. The mainstream ideology which looks upon Emperor of Han，a monarch of significant achievement，as a tyrant，is a manifestation of the traditional Chinese mentality of honoring benevolent governance（王道）and denouncing domineering rules（霸道） . This also historically reveals why China adheres to the idea of peaceful development.

Key words: Emperor Wu of Han；Song Dynasty, historical images, benevolent governance, domineering rules