although ge hong was the first in china to accurately describe the symptoms of smallpox, historian rafe de crespigny muses that the plagues afflicting the eastern han empire of china during the reigns of emperor huan of han (r. 146-168) and emperor ling of han (r. 168–189) - with outbreaks in 151, 161, 171, 173, 179, 182, and 185 - were perhaps connected to the antonine plague on the western end of eurasia. crespigny suggests that these plagues led to the rise of the cult faith healing millenarian movement led by zhang jue (d. 184), who instigated the disastrous yellow turban rebellion (184-205). he also states that "it may be only chance" that the outbreak of the antonine plague in 166 coincides with the roman embassy of "daqin" (i.e. the roman empire) landing in jiaozhi (northern vietnam) and visiting the han court of emperor huan, claiming to represent "andun" (安敦; a transliteration of marcus aurelius antoninus or his predecessor antoninus pius).