Dali Kingdom

See also: Timeline of Yunnan-Guizhou

Dali Kingdom 大理國 Dablit Guaif
937–1094, 1096–1253 (1094–1096: Dazhong Kingdom)
Map of Dali Kingdom in late 12th century
Status	Song dynasty tributary state (982–1253)
Capital	Yangjumie (in present-day Dali Town, Yunnan)
Common languages	Written Classic Chinese Bai
Religion	Buddhism
Government	Monarchy
Emperor
• 937–944	Duan Siping
• 1081–1094	Duan Zhengming
• 1096–1108	Duan Zhengchun
• 1172–1200	Duan Zhixing
• 1251–1254	Duan Xingzhi
History
• Established	937
• Coup d'etat by Gao Shengtai	1094
• Reestablished	1096
• Conquered by the Mongol Empire	1253
Preceded by Succeeded by Dayining Dazhong Dazhong Mongol Empire
Today part of	China Laos Myanmar Vietnam

Dali Kingdom
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	大理國
Simplified Chinese	大理国
Literal meaning	State of Dali
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Dàlǐ Guó IPA [tâ.lì.kwǒ]
Alternative Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	後大理 後理國
Simplified Chinese	后大理 后理国
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Hòu Dàlǐ Hòu Lǐ Guó IPA [xôʊ tâ.lì]
Vietnamese name
Vietnamese alphabet	Vương quốc Đại Lý
Hán-Nôm	王國大理
Bai name
Bai	Dablit Guaif

The Dali Kingdom, also known as the Dali State (simplified Chinese: 大理国; traditional Chinese: 大理國; pinyin: Dàlǐ Guó; Bai: Dablit Guaif), was a dynastic state situated in modern Yunnan province, China from 937 until 1253. In 1253, it was conquered by the Mongols but members of its former ruling house continued to administer the area as tusi chiefs under the auspices of the Yuan dynasty until the Ming conquest of Yunnan in 1382. Today the former capital of the Dali Kingdom is still called Dali in modern Yunnan Province.

Name

The Dali Kingdom takes its name from Dali City. Famed for its high quality marble, Dali (dàlǐ 大理) literally means "marble" in Chinese.

Dali marble is famous throughout Asia and among collectors of gemstones all over the world. For a few square inches of Shuimohuashi, a particularly precious type of marble, dealers in Hong Kong or Shanghai can charge up to $20,000. For more than 1,000 years Dali has been known as the town of marble; indeed, the Chinese word dali means “marble.”

— Barbara A. West

History

Gilt Silver Statue of Ganruda inlaid with crystal beads, found at the Qianxun Pagoda of Chongsheng Temple, exhibited at Yunnan Provincial Museum.

Origins

Nanzhao was overthrown in 902 and three dynasties followed in quick succession before Duan Siping seized power in 937, establishing himself at Dali. The Duan clan professed to have Han ancestry. Yuan dynasty records said the Duan family came from Wuwei in Gansu:

Yuan records claim that the Dali kingdom’s Duan rulers originally came from Wuwei Commandery in modern-day Gansu Province, but this is not confirmed by Song or Dali sources. A significant change from Nanzhao is apparent in Dali rulers’ naming practices, which generally do not follow the patronymic linkage system. This suggests that the Dali elites presented themselves as more “Chinese” than their Nanzhao counterparts.

— Megan Bryson

Relations with the Song dynasty

Dali's relationship with the Song was cordial throughout its entire existence. Dali congratulated the Song dynasty on the conquest of Later Shu in 965 and voluntarily established tribute relations in 982. It was however essentially an independent state. At times the Song even declined offers of tribute. The Song founder Song Taizu declared all land south of the Dadu River to be Dali territory and did not desire to pursue any further claims to avoid the Tang dynasty's disastrous efforts against Nanzhao.

Dali relations with the Song differed markedly from Nanzhao-Tang relations. When the first Song emperor, Taizu, came to power, he declared that, in light of Tang difficulties in the Southwest, he would forfeit the Yue and Sui Commanderies and use the Dadu River as the border with Dali. His successors followed this policy, so contact between the Song and Dali was minimal. Song records show reluctance to engage with Dali directly in any way, even through the standard tributary relationship of vassal (Dali) and lord (Song). Because of Song officials’ wariness, Dali was only allowed to offer tribute at the Song court on three occasions. Their requests to offer tribute were repeatedly rejected on the grounds that they would cause trouble for Song, as Nanzhao had for Tang.

— Megan Bryson

Dali's primary importance to the Song dynasty was its horses, which were highly prized and sought after as military assets, especially after the fall of the Northern Song. They were described by a Song official in the following passage:

These horses possess a shape [that is] quite magnificent. They stand low with a muscular front, very similar to the shape of a chicken. The diaphragm is broad, shoulders thick, waist flat, and back round. They are trained to squat on their rear ends like a dog. They easily climb steep terrain on command and possess both speed and agility in chase. They have been raised on bitter buckwheat, so they require little to maintain. How could a horse like this not be considered a good horse?

Dazhong Kingdom (1094-1096)

In 1094, the former prime minister Gao Shengtai forced King Duan Zhengming to relinquish the throne to him and renamed the Dali Kingdom to "Dazhong Kingdom". Gao Shengtai ruled briefly until his death in 1096, after which the throne was returned to the Duan family. Duan Zhengming's younger brother, Duan Zhengchun, became the new ruler and restored the kingdom's former name.

The Gao of Beisheng claimed descent from Gao Shengtai 高昇泰, who usurped the throne of the Dali kingdom c.1094 for approximately one year. According to the Yuan History, Gao Zhisheng 高智升 sent his grandson, Gao Dahui 高大惠, to administer the area after the fall of the Nanzhao kingdom. The Gao served as the Native Officials of Beisheng sub-prefecture for eleven generations during the Ming dynasty. The Ming appointed the first Gao Ce 高策 in recognition of his meritorious military service in 1389, and the eleventh Gao Shichang 高世昌 inherited the position of Vice Magistrate of rank four in 1630.

— Huang Caiwen

Intervention in Đại Việt

According to a Vietnamese stone inscription, in 1096 a Dali magician was said to have plotted a conspiracy to murder King Lý Nhân Tông. After the death of Nhân Tông in 1127, his adopted son (by concubine) named Zhizhi had escaped to Dali, changed his surname to Zhao, and assumed the title pingwang (peaceful king). When he learned that his older brother, King Lý Thần Tông, had died in 1137, Zhizhi returned to Đại Việt and attacked Lý Anh Tông with 3,000 Dali troops. However, he was defeated and executed.

Fall

Further information: Uriyangkhadai § Invasion of Yunnan and Tibet

In 1252 Möngke Khan placed his brother Kublai in charge of invading Dali. In 1253 Kublai's army crossed the Jinsha River and received the surrender of Duan Xingzhi, who presented to Möngke in 1256 maps of Yunnan. Duan Xingzhi of Dali was enfeoffed as Maharaja (摩诃罗嵯), and the Duan imperial family continued to hold the title of Maharaja in Yunnan as vassals to the Mongols under the supervision of Borjigin imperial princes and Muslim governors. The Duan family reigned in Dali while the governors served in Kunming. After the Ming conquest of Yunnan, the members of the Duan clan were scattered in various distant areas of China by the Hongwu Emperor.

Yunnan under the Yuan dynasty

The Duan family governed Yunnan's various indigenous peoples for eleven generations until the end of Mongol rule. They willingly contributed soldiers to the Mongol campaign against the Song dynasty. In 1271, they aided the Yuan dynasty in putting down a Mongol rebellion in Yunnan.

In 1274, Ajall Shams al-Din Omar was assigned by Kublai to stabilize Yunnan. He instituted a native chieftain system that came to be known as tusi which assigned ranks and posts to native chieftains. Under this institution of "rule based on native customs" the locals retained much of their autonomy with the exception of three obligations. One, they would provide surrendered troops to the Yuan government. Two, local chieftains would provide tribute to the Yuan court. Three, they would follow the rules of appointment, succession, promotion, degradation, reward, and punishment of native chieftains created by the Yuan court.

Yuan rule also introduced a significant Muslim influence into Yunnan.

The King of Dali Duan Gong was married to the Mongol Borjigin princess Agai, daughter of the Yuan dynasty Prince of Liang, Basalawarmi. They had a son and a daughter, Duan Sengnu. their children were also called Duan Qiangna and Duan Bao. However the Mongols feared the power of Duan Gong and killed him. Duan Sengnu raised Duan Bao to take revenge against Basalawarmi for the killing of Duan Gong. A play was made based on these events. According to Yuan documents, the Duan family were originally ethnic Han from Wuwei commandery, Gansu. Other Duan families also originated from Wuwei.

Conquest of Yunnan by the Ming dynasty

Main article: Ming conquest of Yunnan

In 1381, the Ming dynasty dispatched 300,000 troops to crush the Yuan remnants in Yunnan.

The Duan clan, who helped the Yuan dynasty against a Red Turban Rebellion attack from Sichuan, also fought against the Ming army. Duan Gong refused to surrender by writing to Fu Youde, making it clear that Dali could only be a tributary to the Ming. Fu Youde attacked and crushed Duan Gong's realm after a fierce battle. The Duan brothers were taken captive and escorted back to the Ming capital.

Government

Under the influence of Chinese officials present from early times, the Dali elite used Chinese script supplemented by Bai characters, which were themselves constructed based on Chinese characters. The Dali court granted hereditary fiefs to pre-existing clan chiefs, in particular the Duan, Gao, Yang, and Dong clans, to win over their support. Some administrative units were designated semi-autonomous military divisions. Similarly to the Nanzhao military, the Dali military consisted of a standing army, townsfolk peasant-soldiers and indigenous militia.

The rulers of Dali continued the traditions of Nanzhao, such as the royal title piaoxin (Lord of Pyu), the use of the same tall crowns, and taking Acuoye Guanyin as their tutelary deity. They also used the title emperor (huangdi).

Language and ethnicity

A Bai manuscript written in Classical Chinese.

Extant sources from Nanzhao and the Dali Kingdom show that the ruling elite used Chinese script. The vast majority of Dali sources are written in Classical Chinese. However the ruling elite also used Bai language for communication, but no attempt was made to standardize or popularize the script, and it remained an unofficial writing system.

Today, most Bai people trace their ancestry to Nanzhao and the Dali Kingdom, but records from those kingdoms do not mention the Bai. The earliest references to "Bai people", or the "Bo", are from the Yuan dynasty. During the Ming dynasty, the Bai were also known as "Minjia" (civilians). A Bai script using Chinese characters was mentioned during the Ming dynasty.

According to Stevan Harrell, while the ethnic identity of Nanzhao's ruling elite is still disputed, the subsequent Yang and Duan dynasties were both definitely Bai.

Religion

A version of Buddhism known as Azhali existed in Yunnan since the 9th century. The last king of Nanzhao established Buddhism as the state religion and many Dali kings continued the tradition. Ten of Dali's 22 kings retired to become Buddhist monks.

Fan Chengda (1126-1193) encountered a Dali trade mission and noted that they sought Chinese literature, medical texts, Buddhist scriptures, and dictionaries in return for horses. He marveled that "these people all possessed proper etiquette, and carried and recited Buddhist scriptural books."

Gallery

• 
  Duan Zhixing (r. 1171–1200)
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Family tree of monarchs

Family Tree of the Emperors of Dali

Duàn Bǎolóng 段寶龍 Duan Siping 段思平 b. c. 894 – d. c. 944 Taizu 太祖 r. 937–9441 Duan Sizhou 段思胄 (d. 951) Taizong 太宗 (r. 945–951)3 Duan Siying 段思英 Wénjīng huángdì 文經皇帝 r. 944–9452 □ Duan Sicong 段思聰 d. 968 Zhìdàoguǎngcí huángdì 至道廣慈皇帝 r. 952–9684 □ Duan Sushun 段素順 d. 985 Yīngdào huángdì 應道皇帝 r. 968–9855 Duan Zhisi 段智思 Duan Suying 段素英 Zhāomíng huángdì 昭明皇帝 r. 985–10096 Duan Silian 段思廉 Xīngzōng 興宗 r. 1044–107511 Duan Sulian 段素廉 d.1022 Xuānsù huángdì 宣肅皇帝 r. 1009–10227 □ Duan Lianshou 段廉寿 Duan Lianyi 段廉義 d. 1080 Xìngzōng 興宗 r. 1075–108012 Duan Lianzheng 段廉正 Duan Suzhen 段素真 Shèngdé huángdì 聖德皇帝 r. 1026–10419 Duan Sulong 段素隆 Bǐngyì huángdì 秉義皇帝 r. 1022–10268 Duan Shouhui 段壽輝 Shàngmíng huángdì 上明皇帝 r. 1080–108113 Duan Zhengming 段正明 Bǎodìng huángdì 保定皇帝 r.1081–109414 Duan Zhengchun 段正淳 Zhongzong 中宗 r. 1096–110815 □ Duan Heyu 段和譽 Xianzong 憲宗 r. 1108–114716 Duan Suxing 段素興 Tiānmíng huángdì 天明皇帝 r. 1041–104410 Duan Zhengxing 段正興 r. 1147–117117 Duan Zhixing 段智興 Xuanzong 宣宗 r. 1171–120018 Duan Zhixiang 段智祥 r. 1204–123820 Duan Zhilian 段智廉 r. 1200–120419 Duàn Ziangxing 段祥興 Xiàoyì huángdì 孝義皇帝 r. 1238–125121 Duan Xingzhi 段興智 r. 1251–1254; 1257–126022

Art

Zhang Shengwen's Kingdom of Dali Buddhist Volume of Paintings. Scroll, Ink and color on paper. 30.4 cm high. Located in the National Palace Museum, Taipei. The entire work is 16.655 meters and is in three portions. Completed in 1176.

Gallery

• 
  Lacquered armour of the Dali Kingdom
• 
  Dali religious painting
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  Dali procession of nobles and soldiers
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  Pagoda of Chongsheng Temple, the royal temple of the Dali
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  Dharani pillar of Dali, 1220
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  Bronze statue of Guanyin from Dali
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  Dali vajra sceptre (jingangchu)

References

• Bryson, Megan (2013), Baijie and the Bai
• Bryson, Megan (2016), Goddess on the Frontier: Religion, Ethnicity, and Gender in Southwest China, Stanford University Press, ISBN 978-1503600454
• Fan, Chengda (2011). Hargett, James M. (ed.). Treatises of the Supervisor and Guardian of the Cinnamon Sea: The Natural World and Material Culture of Twelfth-Century China. University of Washington Press. ISBN 978-0-29599-079-8.
• Harrell, Stevan (1995), The History of the History of the Yi, University of Washington Press, pp. 63–91, ISBN 9780295975283, JSTOR j.ctvbtzm9s.5
• Herman, John E. (2007), Amid the Clouds and Mist China's Colonization of Guizhou, 1200–1700, Harvard University Asia Center, ISBN 978-0-674-02591-2
• Huang, Caiwen (2020), The Lancang Guard and the Construction of Ming society in northwest Yunnan
• Wang, Feng (2004). "Language policy for Bai". In Zhou, Minglang (ed.). Language policy in the People's Republic of China: Theory and practice since 1949. Kluwer Academic Publishers. pp. 278–287. ISBN 978-1-4020-8038-8.
• West, Barbara A. (2009), Encyclopedia of the Peoples of Asia and Oceania
• Yang, Bin (2008a), "Chapter 3: Military Campaigns against Yunnan: A Cross-Regional Analysis", Between Winds and Clouds: The Making of Yunnan (Second Century BCE to Twentieth Century CE), Columbia University Press
• Yang, Bin (2008b), "Chapter 4: Rule Based on Native Customs", Between Winds and Clouds: The Making of Yunnan (Second Century BCE to Twentieth Century CE), Columbia University Press
• Yang, Bin (2008c), "Chapter 5: Sinicization and Indigenization: The Emergence of the Yunnanese", Between Winds and Clouds: The Making of Yunnan (Second Century BCE to Twentieth Century CE), Columbia University Press

External links

• Media related to Dali Kingdom at Wikimedia Commons