After Gao Shengtai's death the Gaos returned power to the Duans ｜ After Gao Shengtai's death the Gaos returned power to the Duans; Duan Zhengchun was enthroned, founding the Later Dali.
Fifteenth emperor of the Dali Kingdom (first emperor of the Later Dali)
Duan Zhengchun
段正淳
Duan Zhengchun (eleventh to twelfth century) was the fifteenth emperor of the Dali Kingdom in Yunnan, grandson of Duan Silian and elder brother of Duan Zhengming. His posthumous title was Wen'an Emperor and his temple name Zhongzong. His brother Duan Zhengming was usurped by Gao Shengtai; when Gao Shengtai died of illness three years later (1096), he charged his son Gao Taiming on his deathbed to return power to the Duan…
Dali Kingdom
PROFILE
Duan Zhengchun (eleventh to twelfth century) was the fifteenth emperor of the Dali Kingdom in Yunnan, grandson of Duan Silian and elder brother of Duan Zhengming. His posthumous title was Wen'an Emperor and his temple name Zhongzong. His brother Duan Zhengming was usurped by Gao Shengtai; when Gao Shengtai died of illness three years later (1096), he charged his son Gao Taiming on his deathbed to return power to the Duan clan, and Duan Zhengchun was thereupon raised to the throne. Because the Duan regime had been interrupted, the Dali Kingdom from Duan Zhengchun onward is known as the Later Dali Kingdom, and the era name Tianshou was adopted. Although Duan Zhengchun accepted the power returned by the Gao clan, the Gao clan still held great influence at court, and the chancellors all came from the Gao household. He appointed Gao Taiming as chancellor and Gao Taiyun as garrison commander, changed the era name to Kaiming the following year, and remitted corvée labor. In 1103 he sent Gao Taiyun with a state letter to the Northern Song, obtaining works from sixty-nine scriptural collections and sixty-two medical texts. In 1108 he abdicated in favor of his son Duan Heyu (Duan Zhengyan) and became a monk at the Wusi Temple under the religious name Master Xiukong.
- Dynasty / polity
- Dali Kingdom
- Period
- Dali Kingdom
- Date of Birth
- Not recorded in historical sources
- Date of Death
- Not recorded in historical sources
- Era / Dynasty
- Later Dali Kingdom (Dali Kingdom)
- Ethnicity
- Bai
- Identity / Occupation
- Fifteenth emperor of the Dali Kingdom (first emperor of the Later Dali)
- Reign
- 1096–1108
- Predecessor
- Gao Shengtai (Great Central Kingdom)
- Successor
- Duan Zhengyan (Duan Heyu)
- Grandfather
- Duan Silian
- Elder Brother
- Duan Zhengming
- Era Names
- Tianshou, Kaiming, among others
- Temple Name
- Zhongzong
- Posthumous Name
- Wen'an Emperor
- Major Achievements
- Accepted the Gao clan's return of power and founded the Later Dali; sent envoys to the Northern Song to obtain scriptures
LIFE TIMELINE
Adopted the era name Tianshou ｜ Adopted the era name Tianshou, then Kaiming, remitting corvee labor.
Rebuilt Chuxiong city and enfeoffed it on Gao Mingliang. ｜ Rebuilt Chuxiong city and enfeoffed it on Gao Mingliang.
Sent Gao Taiyun to the Northern Song ｜ Sent Gao Taiyun to the Northern Song, obtaining 69 scriptural and 62 medical collections.
The Burmese ｜ The Burmese, Persians, and Kunlun peoples presented white elephants and fragrant goods three times.
BIOGRAPHY
Biography
Raised to the Throne
His elder brother Duan Zhengming was usurped by Gao Shengtai, and the Duan dynasty of Dali was interrupted. When Gao Shengtai died of illness three years later (1096), he instructed his son Gao Taiming on his deathbed to return power to the Duan clan, and Duan Zhengchun was thereupon raised to the throne. Because the Duan regime had been interrupted, the Dali Kingdom from Duan Zhengchun onward is called the Later Dali Kingdom, with the era name Tianshou.
His Reign
Although Duan Zhengchun was emperor of the Later Dali and accepted the power returned by the Gao clan, the Gao clan still held great influence at court, and the chancellors all came from the Gao household. He appointed Gao Taiming as chancellor and Gao Taiyun as garrison commander, changed the era name to Kaiming the following year, and remitted corvée labor.
In 1102 he rebuilt the city of Chuxiong and enfeoffed it to Gao Mingliang, son of Gao Taiming. In 1103 he sent Gao Taiyun with a memorial to the Northern Song court, obtaining works from sixty-nine scriptural collections and sixty-two medical texts. Later, when Gao Guanyin of Shanchan (present-day Kunming) came to court, presenting a golden horse-staff of eighty sections and reporting a population of 33,000 households, Duan Zhengchun granted him ceremonial robes of eight emblems and a dragon-head sword, promoting him to General Who Pacifies the East. In 1105 the Burmese, Persians, and Kunlun peoples three times presented white elephants and fragrant goods.
Abdication and Monastic Life
Duan Zhengchun stood in great fear of the Gao clan. In 1108 he abdicated in favor of his son Duan Heyu (Duan Zhengyan), became a monk at the Wusi Temple under the religious name Master Xiukong, and later went to Jizu Mountain, where he founded the Longtan Temple.
Major Activities
- Accepted the Gao clan's return of power to found the Later Dali; sent envoys to the Northern Song for scriptures; abdicated to his son and became a monk
The chronology and events of his reign are as follows: after Gao Shengthai died in 1096, Gao Taiming returned power to the Duan house and Duan Zhengchun was raised to the throne; in 1097 he changed the era name to Kaiming and remitted labour service, while another account lists the Kaiming era without giving its starting year; in 1102 he had the city of Chuxiong built and granted it to Gao Mingliang, son of Gao Taiming; in 1103 he sent envoys to Song China to seek canonical texts, one account listing sixty-nine sets of scriptures and sixty-two works of medicine; in 1108 he abdicated in favour of his son Duan Zhengyan and became a monk. After the Gao family returned power the Duan line recovered the throne while real authority remained with the Gaos, an arrangement visible in the grants and city-building of his reign.
His reign of about twelve years fell in a period when embassies and canonical texts moved comparatively freely between Song China and Dali; later histories list the acquisition of scriptures, the building of the city and the remission of labour service together as the principal public business of these years, though the dates of each are variously given, so the entry states only the years as the sources give them and does not calculate an overall change in Dali's domestic government from them.
Personal Relations
- | Relation | Person | Notes |
- |---| --- |---|
- | Grandfather | Duan Silian | Xingzong of Dali |
- | Elder brother | Duan Zhengming | Baoding Emperor, deposed by Gao Shengtai |
- | Consort | Gao Shengjie | Sister of Gao Shengtai |
- | Son | Duan Heyu (Duan Zhengyan) | Succeeded as Emperor Xianzong Xuanren |
Historical Assessment
The Prince Zhennan Duan Zhengchun in Jin Yong's wuxia novel Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils (Tianlong Babu) is based on Zhongzong Duan Zhengchun of Dali; in the novel he is portrayed as romantic and much beloved, quite different from his historical image.
He restored the Duan dynasty in name while real power stayed with the Gaos; fearful and unaccomplished, he abdicated to a monastery after twelve years.
FIGURES ASSOCIATED WITH THIS DYNASTY
Bibliography
- Zengding Nanzhao Yeshi (Expanded and Revised Unofficial History of Nanzhao)
- Biographical Dictionary of Ethnic Figures in Chinese History, Chinese Social Sciences Press, 1990