Sheng Luopi

Biography

Accession

Sheng Luopi (672–728), also known as Sheng Luozhuo, was the fourth zhao lord of Mengshe Zhao (third king of Nanzhao). In 712, his father Luosheng went to the Tang court for an audience and died of illness in Chang'an; his eldest son Yange succeeded but died the same year, and Yange's younger brother Sheng Luopi thereupon took the throne in the first year of Xiantian (712).

Missions to the Tang

In 714 (the second year of Kaiyuan of the Tang), Sheng Luopi dispatched the state elder Zhang Jiancheng at the head of a tribute mission to the Tang court and was enfeoffed by the Tang as Prince of Taideng. The Tang court bestowed Buddhist scriptures, and from this time Yunnan possessed Buddhist books. In the same year, with the approval of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Sheng Luopi built the Tutu Temple (Xunshan Hall) for his grandfather Xinuluo, the founding lord of Nanzhao, at Weibaoshan in Weishan, erecting a gilded statue for veneration; Emperor Xuanzong also conferred on Xinuluo the title "Great Lord Who Patrols the Mountain." Sheng Luopi made Zhang Jiancheng his state elder and Yang Falü his state preceptor, maintaining friendly relations with the Tang.

Expanding the Territory

During his reign Sheng Luopi codified laws and established offices to collect commercial taxes; he led troops to conquer the Wangjuzi Man of the Lancang River basin, founded Zheyu City (present-day Baoshan), and opened up and administered the lands west of the Lancang River in western Yunnan, enlarging his realm.

Promoting Confucianism and Learning

Sheng Luopi promoted reverence for Confucian scholars and Confucius within his realm, encouraged the people to study Chinese books, and spread Han culture; he also built a temple to venerate the Jin dynasty general and calligrapher Wang Xizhi as a sage. He recruited strong young men to study Chinese, learn the cultures of the Han and Tang, and train in military techniques; he gathered blacksmiths to forge weapons and sent men to Xichuan in Tang territory to purchase fine arms.

Death

In 728 (the sixteenth year of Kaiyuan of the Tang), Sheng Luopi died, and his son Piluoge (also known as Meng Guiyi) succeeded, later unifying the six zhao.

According to the New History of the Tang, during Empress Wu's reign, Sheng Luopi's father Sheng Yan (Luoshengyan) went to court in person while his wife was pregnant; when she gave birth to Sheng Luopi, he rejoiced: "I have a son again—though I die in the land of Tang, it is enough."

Folk legend holds that after Sheng Luopi's death, his son Piluoge enshrined him in the Mengshe Tutu Temple to continue the ancestral offerings; although no historical source records this, the tale has been told among the people ever since. The long poem "Liu Zhao Kuixiong" has much to say about him: "Fair is the scenery of Mengshe Zhao's city, white clouds gracefully wreathing the palace; now the line reaches the third generation, and the zhao king is called Sheng Luopi. The lineage of King Sheng Luopi runs unbroken; he was kind at heart and fair in all his dealings. All he wanted was for the people to live and work in peace; all he wanted was peace and tranquility in the world."

Major Activities

The policies of Sheng Luopi's reign strengthened the power of Mengshe Zhao and laid the foundation for the unification of the six zhao: codifying laws and establishing offices to collect commercial taxes; developing the lands west of the Lancang River and expanding the territory; promoting Confucian learning, encouraging the study of Chinese books, and spreading Han culture; venerating Wang Xizhi as a sage in a dedicated temple; recruiting young men to study Chinese and learn Han-Tang culture and military skills; sending tribute missions to the Tang, receiving the title Prince of Taideng; and, with Emperor Xuanzong's approval, building the Tutu Temple for Xinuluo at Weibaoshan.

The investitures and activities of his reign are also recorded: in 714 he sent the elder Zhang Jiancheng to pay tribute to the Tang and was enfeoffed as Prince of Taideng Commandery, asking in the same year for a shrine to his grandfather Xinuluo; the records for 721 and 726 concern respectively a claim that he "opposed the Tang" and a sacrificial ceremony, both preserved in the sources without exact dates; he died in 728 and his son Piluoge succeeded him.

Two points about his reign can be verified: it fell roughly in the Kaiyuan period of the Tang, and after receiving the title Prince of Taideng he continued to send tribute; on his death his son Piluoge succeeded him, and Piluoge later unified the six zhao and was invested by the Tang as Prince of Yunnan, bringing the Mengshe Zhao into a new phase.

Personal Relations

• | Relation | Person | Notes |
• |---| --- |---|
• | Grandfather | Xinuluo | Founding lord of Nanzhao |
• | Father | Luosheng (Luoshengyan) | Lord of Nanzhao |
• | Elder brother | Yange | Succeeded briefly in 712, dying the same year |
• | Son | Piluoge (Meng Guiyi) | Fourth lord of Nanzhao, later unified the six zhao |

Historical Assessment

By codifying law and taxes, fostering Confucian learning, and opening the lands west of the Lancang, he strengthened Mengshe Zhao for his son Piluoge's unification of the six zhao.