Duan Silian

Biography

Installation on the Throne

Duan Silian was the eleventh king of the Dali Kingdom in the Song era, a member of the Bai ethnic group from present-day Dali, Yunnan, great-grandson of Duan Siping and son of Duan Sizhi.

In 1044 (the fourth year of Qingli of Emperor Renzong of Song), the tenth king, Duan Suxing, ruled without virtue and was deposed by his subjects; Duan Silian was thereupon installed as ruler. His accession came about through a coup by the powerful minister Gao Zhisheng, who deposed Duan Suxing and installed him. The following year he adopted the era name Bao'an, later changing to Zheng'an, Zhengde, and Baode.

Sheltering and Executing Nong Zhigao

In 1053 (the fifth year of Huangyou), Duan Silian gave refuge to Nong Zhigao, leader of the Nong rebels who had fled into Dali after his uprising failed, along with his remaining followers. In 1055 (the second year of Zhihe), under duress from the Song court, Duan Silian had Nong Zhigao killed (one account holds that Nong Zhigao had already died in Dali) and sent his head, sealed in a box, to the Song.

After executing Nong Zhigao, Duan Silian employed the physician Bai Heyuan, the literary figure Huang Wei, and others who had followed Nong Zhigao into Dali, promoting the development of "literature, medicine, and craftsmanship" in Dali.

The Rise of the Gao Clan

In 1063 (the eighth year of Jiayou), Duan Silian ordered the powerful minister Gao Zhisheng to suppress the uprising led by Yang Yunxian of Yaozhou in the Erhai region. He promoted Gao Zhisheng to Grand Guardian and Marquis of De, granted him lands at Baiya and Hedian, and soon advanced him to Marquis of Shanchan. From then on the Gao clan's power grew daily while the Duan clan declined, and real power in Dali began to fall into the hands of the Gao family.

Abdication and Monastic Life

In 1075 (the eighth year of Xining of Emperor Shenzong; one source gives the seventh year), Duan Silian abdicated in favor of his son Duan Lianyi and became a Buddhist monk. He first built the Yunqi Meditation Hall northwest of the Wusi Temple in Dali to practice there; later he wandered to the Eryuan region, where he founded the Lanruo Temple, meditated and preached there, and at one point had more than a hundred disciples. After his death he received the posthumous title Xiaode Emperor and the temple name Xingzong.

Duan Silian has been assessed as achieving "something in civil governance but little in military affairs." His reign is regarded as the beginning of Gao clan dominance, after which the Duan royal house gradually became puppet rulers. According to the "Epitaph of Master Bai" (Gu Dashi Bai Shi Mubei Ming), after Nong Zhigao's defeat the physician Bai Heyuan, the literary figure Huang Wei, and others fled into Dali in his wake; although Duan Silian executed Nong Zhigao and sent his head to the Song, he employed Bai, Huang, and the others, so that "the literature, medicine, and craftsmanship of Dali became renowned from this time." However, by relying on Gao Zhisheng to suppress Yang Yunxian's uprising and rewarding him with lands and titles, he allowed the Gao clan's power to swell, "sowing the seed of the Gao clan's later usurpation."

After Duan Silian abdicated and became a monk, the Dali Kingdom was shaken by frequent coups: the murder of Duan Lianyi, the usurpation by Yang Yizhen, the Gao clan's deposition and installation of emperors, and finally the brief usurpation by Gao Shengtai.

Major Activities

The principal events of Duan Silian's reign include: sheltering Nong Zhigao and his followers in 1053; executing Nong Zhigao and sending his head to the Song under Song pressure in 1055, while employing the talents who had accompanied him—Bai Heyuan, Huang Wei, and others—to promote cultural development in Dali; ordering Gao Zhisheng to suppress Yang Yunxian's uprising in 1063 and enfeoffing him as Grand Guardian and Marquis of Shanchan with lands at Baiya and Hedian, which objectively paved the way for Gao clan dominance; and abdicating to become a monk in 1075.

The internal and external events of his reign can be set out by year: in 1044 (fourth year of the Qingli era, Northern Song) Duan Suxing was deposed and he was raised to the throne; in 1045 (fifth year of Qingli, first year of Bao'an in Dali) he changed the era name to Bao'an; in 1053 (fifth year of the Huangyou era) Nong Zhigao fled into Dali after his defeat and was received by him; in 1055 (second year of the Zhihe era) Dali sent Nong Zhigao's head to the Song, the circumstances of his death being variously given; in 1063 (eighth year of the Jiayou era) Gao Zhisheng was ordered to put down the revolt of Yang Yunxian, received further titles and greatly extended his power; in 1075 (eighth year of the Xining era) he abdicated and became a monk, Duan Lianyi succeeding him, another account giving 1074. His birth and death years are given in the two sources both as "not exactly known" and as 1027 to 1108, so the information card rests on the regnal years while the variants are preserved side by side.

The growth of Gao family power in his reign continued directly into the following reigns: Gao Zhisheng received further titles for suppressing the revolt in 1063, and his son Gao Shengthai later went so far as to replace the Duan house, so that the reign of Duan Silian is often treated as the starting point of the Gao ascendancy in later Dali.

His reign of more than thirty years was one of the longer ones of the middle and later Dali kingdom, and his abdication and monastic vows continued the Duan practice of rulers ending their lives as monks.

The variants for his death year, and the difference in regnal reckoning, still await checking against more direct sources.

His more than thirty years on the throne were a comparatively stable period for the Duan title, while the extension of Gao power through the suppression of revolt was the most notable structural change of the time.

Personal Relations

• | Relation | Person | Notes |
• |---| --- |---|
• | Great-grandfather | Duan Siping | Founding emperor of the Dali Kingdom |
• | Son | Duan Lianyi | Succeeded when Duan Silian abdicated in 1075 |
• | Grandson | Duan Zhengchun | Born in 1067 (the fourth year of Zhiping of the Northern Song), during Duan Silian's reign |
• | Key minister | Gao Zhisheng | Installed Duan Silian on the throne; later suppressed Yang Yunxian's rebellion and was enfeoffed as Grand Guardian and Marquis of Shanchan |

Historical Assessment

There are differing records of Duan Silian's accession and reign dates: one account gives 1044 to 1075, another 1045 to 1074. After abdicating he became a monk at the Wusi Temple in Dali and built the Yunqi Meditation Hall northwest of the temple; later he wandered to Eryuan, founded the Lanruo Temple, and meditated and preached there, at one point having more than a hundred disciples.

He achieved something in civil governance but little in arms; his reliance on Gao Zhisheng objectively opened the era of Gao clan dominance, reducing the Duan house to puppets.