The Dali Kingdom, also known as the Dali State (;
Bai: Dablit Guaif), was a state situated in modern
Yunnan
Yunnan , () is a landlocked province in the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the ...
province,
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...
from 937 until 1253. In 1253, it was
conquered by the Mongols but members of its former ruling dynasty continued to administer the area as ''
tusi
''Tusi'', often translated as "headmen" or "chieftains", were hereditary tribal leaders recognized as imperial officials by the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties of China, and the Later Lê and Nguyễn dynasties of Vietnam. They ruled certain e ...
'' chiefs under the auspices of the
Yuan dynasty
The Yuan dynasty (), officially the Great Yuan (; xng, , , literally "Great Yuan State"), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after its division. It was established by Kublai, the fif ...
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
Dali City () is the county-level seat of the Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture in northwestern Yunnan. Dali City is administered through 12 township-level districts, two of which are also commonly referred to as Dali.
Xiaguan () formerly ...
. Famed for its high quality marble, Dali (dàlǐ 大理) literally means "marble" in Chinese.
History
Origins
Nanzhao was overthrown in 902 and three dynasties followed in quick succession before
Duan Siping
Duan Siping (, IPA: ; Bai: Duainb six-pienp), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Taizu of Dali, was a Chinese monarch and politician. He was the founding emperor of the Dali Kingdom. The Dali Kingdom would last until the Mongol conqu ...
seized power in 937, establishing himself at
Dali. The Duan clan professed to have Han ancestry.
The Yuan dynasty records said the Duan family came from Wuwei in Gansu:
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'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:
Dazhong Kingdom (1094-1096)
In 1094, the former prime minister
Gao Shengtai
Gao Shengtai (died 1096) was the founder and the only emperor of the short-lived Dazhong Kingdom from 1094 until his death in 1096. He was from Cang Mountain in the present-day southern Chinese province of Yunnan.
Life
In 1080, Duan Lianyi, ...
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.
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
Lý Nhân Tông (22 February 1066 – 15 January 1128), personal name Lý Càn Đức, temple name Nhân Tông was the fourth monarch of the Lý dynasty, ruling the kingdom of Đại Việt from 1072 until his death in 1128. Succeeding his ...
. 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
In 1252
Möngke Khan
Möngke ( mn, ' / Мөнх '; ; 11 January 1209 – 11 August 1259) was the fourth khagan-emperor of the Mongol Empire, ruling from 1 July 1251, to 11 August 1259. He was the first Khagan from the Toluid line, and made significant reform ...
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
Yunnan , () is a landlocked province in the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the ...
. Duan Xingzhi of Dali was enfeoffed as
Maharaja
Mahārāja (; also spelled Maharajah, Maharaj) is a Sanskrit title for a "great ruler", "great king" or " high king".
A few ruled states informally called empires, including ruler raja Sri Gupta, founder of the ancient Indian Gupta Empire, a ...
(摩诃罗嵯) by Kublai Khan, 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
Kunming (; ), also known as Yunnan-Fu, is the capital and largest city of Yunnan province, China. It is the political, economic, communications and cultural centre of the province as well as the seat of the provincial government. The headquar ...
. After the
Ming conquest of Yunnan,
the members of the Duan clan were scattered in various distant areas of China by the
Hongwu Emperor
The Hongwu Emperor (21 October 1328 – 24 June 1398), personal name Zhu Yuanzhang (), courtesy name Guorui (), was the founding emperor of the Ming dynasty of China, reigning from 1368 to 1398.
As famine, plagues and peasant revolts i ...
.
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
The Yuan dynasty (), officially the Great Yuan (; xng, , , literally "Great Yuan State"), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after its division. It was established by Kublai, the fif ...
in putting down a Mongol rebellion in Yunnan.
In 1274,
Ajall Shams al-Din Omar
Sayyid Ajall Shams al-Din Omar al-Bukhari ( fa, سید اجل شمسالدین عمر بخاری; ; 1211–1279) was Yunnan's first provincial governor, appointed by the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty of China.
Life
Shams al-Din was of Central Asian ...
was assigned by Kublai to stabilize Yunnan. He instituted a native chieftain system that came to be known as
tusi
''Tusi'', often translated as "headmen" or "chieftains", were hereditary tribal leaders recognized as imperial officials by the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties of China, and the Later Lê and Nguyễn dynasties of Vietnam. They ruled certain e ...
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
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
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
In 1381, the
Ming dynasty
The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...
dispatched 300,000 troops to crush the Yuan remnants in Yunnan.
The Duan clan, who helped the Yuan dynasty against a
Red Turban Rebellion
The Red Turban Rebellions () were uprisings against the Yuan dynasty between 1351 and 1368, eventually leading to its collapse. Remnants of the Yuan imperial court retreated northwards and is thereafter known as the Northern Yuan in historiog ...
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.
Language and ethnicity
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
Classical Chinese, also known as Literary Chinese (古文 ''gǔwén'' "ancient text", or 文言 ''wényán'' "text speak", meaning
"literary language/speech"; modern vernacular: 文言文 ''wényánwén'' "text speak text", meaning
"literar ...
. However the ruling elite also used
Bai language
The Bai language (Bai: ; ) is a language spoken in China, primarily in Yunnan Province, by the Bai people. The language has over a million speakers and is divided into three or four main dialects. Bai syllables are always open, with a rich se ...
for communication, but no attempt was made to standardize or popularize the script, and it remained an unofficial writing system.
Today, most
Bai people
The Bai, or Pai ( Bai: Baipho, (白和); ; endonym pronounced ), are an East Asian ethnic group native to the Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture of Yunnan Province, Bijie area of Guizhou Province, and Sangzhi area of Hunan Province. They constitut ...
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
The Yuan dynasty (), officially the Great Yuan (; xng, , , literally "Great Yuan State"), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after its division. It was established by Kublai, the fif ...
. During the
Ming dynasty
The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...
, the Bai were also known as "Minjia" (civilians). A
Bai script using Chinese characters was mentioned during the
Ming dynasty
The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...
.
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
Azhaliism (), also known as Dianmi or Baimi, is a Vajrayana Buddhist religion practiced among the Bai people of Yunnan, China. The name comes from lay tantric priests called ''azhali'' (Sanskrit: ''acharyas'') who are key figures in the religion, ...
existed in
Yunnan
Yunnan , () is a landlocked province in the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the ...
since the 9th century. The last king of Nanzhao established
Buddhism
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
as the state religion and many Dali kings continued the tradition. Ten of Dali's 22 kings retired to become
Buddhist monks
A ''bhikkhu'' (Pali: भिक्खु, Sanskrit: भिक्षु, ''bhikṣu'') is an ordained male in Buddhist monasticism. Male and female monastics (" nun", ''bhikkhunī'', Sanskrit ''bhikṣuṇī'') are members of the Sangha (Buddhist ...
.
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."
Family tree of monarchs
Art
Gallery
File:Lacquered armor of the Dali Kingdom.jpg, Lacquered armour of the Dali Kingdom
File:Extract of Zhang Shengwen's Huajuan Scroll.jpg, Dali religious painting
File:大理國梵像卷王圖.jpg, Dali procession of nobles and soldiers
File:3pagodas024.jpg, Pagoda of Chongsheng Temple, the royal temple of the Dali
File:Kunming Dizang Si Jingchuang 2014.09.27 14-10-52.jpg, Dharani pillar of Dali, 1220
File:Song Dynasty Tomb Stones (9965022946).jpg, Dali era tombstones
File:Guanyin (Dali Kingdom, China), Asian Art Museum (6016444771).jpg, Bronze statue of Guanyin
Guanyin () is a Bodhisattva associated with compassion. She is the East Asian representation of Avalokiteśvara ( sa, अवलोकितेश्वर) and has been adopted by other Eastern religions, including Chinese folk religion. She ...
from Dali
File:大理市博物馆-大理国-佛图寺塔-铜金刚杵.jpg, Dali vajra sceptre (jingangchu)
Citations
References
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Dali, Kingdom of
937 establishments
10th-century establishments in China
1253 disestablishments in Asia
13th-century disestablishments in China
Former countries in Chinese history
Bai people
Dali Kingdom
Former monarchies