Quan Li Cheng

Biography

Enthronement Backed by Wang Cuodian

Quanlisheng's accession was directly tied to shifts in military power inside Nanzhao. In 816 (11th year of the Yuanhe era, Tang) the jiedushi of Nongdong, Wang Cuodian, killed Quanlongsheng and raised Quanlisheng as king. The New Book of Tang records that the Tang sent Li Xian as commissioner for investiture and condolence; to reward Wang Cuodian, Quanlisheng granted him the Meng surname and the title Darong. "Darong", glossed in the New Book of Tang as a term for an elder brother, reflects Wang Cuodian's special position at court. Both another account and a further account state that power lay mainly in Wang Cuodian's hands, while few records show Quanlisheng personally directing government.

Era Names and Relations with the Tang

During his reign Quanlisheng used the era names Quanyi and Dafeng. One account dates the start of Quanyi to 816, while another gives his change of era to 817; the text explains the difference by the sequence of events and does not infer exact months and days from tables of era names. The New Book of Tang records that in 823 (3rd year of the Changqing era) the Tang granted Nanzhao a seal, and that envoys continued to pass between the two sides during his reign. Another account also records that Quanlisheng dismissed Wang Cuodian from office, but the relevant passages of the New Book of Tang available here do not give the same exact year, so this is not expanded into a verifiable independent policy.

Death and Succession

Quanlisheng died in 823 (3rd year of the Changqing era, Tang). The New Book of Tang states clearly that his younger brother Fengyou succeeded him, and other accounts likewise name Quan Fengyou as successor. One account says he was "only twenty-three years old", another gives twenty-two, reflecting different reckonings of nominal and actual age; the text keeps only the birth and death years on which the accounts agree.

Major Activities

Political and institutional context

The cached record places Quan Li Cheng within the institutions and conflicts of Nanzhao.

Source-based record

Personal Relations

• Relationships are recorded from the cached source text and should be read together with the related entries listed below.

Historical Assessment

The New Book of Tang records Quanlisheng mainly in connection with his elevation, his reward to Wang Cuodian and the Tang grant of a seal, and leaves no extended appraisal of his character or rule. The dominance of Wang Cuodian described in both encyclopedic accounts agrees with the titles recorded in the histories, but it does not follow that Quanlisheng took no part in any affairs of state. The material is limited, so any assessment must stay within the verifiable events.