Duan Suying (, died 1009), also known by his

posthumous name A posthumous name is an honorary name given mostly to the notable dead in East Asian culture. It is predominantly practiced in East Asian countries such as China, Korea, Vietnam, Japan, and Thailand. Reflecting on the person's accomplishments ...

as the Emperor Zhaoming of Dali (), was the sixth

emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...

of the

Dali Kingdom The Dali Kingdom, also known as the Dali State (; Bai: Dablit Guaif), was a 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 dynasty continued to a ...

. His reign lasted from 985 to 1009. He was a descendant of Duan Siliang and the son of his predecessor Duan Sushun. After his death, he was succeeded by his son Duan Sulian. He valued

Confucianism Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, a way of governing, or a ...

and initiated the

imperial examination The imperial examination (; lit. "subject recommendation") refers to a civil-service examination system in Imperial China, administered for the purpose of selecting candidates for the state bureaucracy. The concept of choosing bureaucrats by ...

system in Dali, likely in 1000. The later claim that he authored a version of the

Buddhist 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 ...

work ''

Transmission of the Lamp ''The Jingde Record of the Transmission of the Lamp'' (), often referred to as ''The Transmission of the Lamp'', is a 30 volume work consisting of putative biographies of the Chan Buddhist and Zen Buddhist patriarchs and other prominent Buddhist ...

'', while not completely impossible, is considered unlikely.

Diplomacy

In 989 or some time during 991–995, Duan Suying sent a letter to

Emperor Taizong of Song Zhao Jiong (20 November 939 – 8 May 997), known as Zhao Guangyi from 960 to 977 and Zhao Kuangyi before 960, also known by his temple name Taizong after his death, was the second emperor of the Song dynasty of China. He reigned from 976 to h ...

pleading the latter to conduct the '' fengshan'' ceremony. Duan's letter is now lost, but the reply written by Wang Yucheng on the

Song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetit ...

emperor's behalf, which rejected the proposal, has survived as "A Reply to the

Nanzhao Nanzhao (, also spelled Nanchao, ) was a dynastic kingdom that flourished in what is now southern China and northern Southeast Asia during the 8th and 9th centuries. It was centered on present-day Yunnan in China. History Origins Nanzh ...

King's Request for the Eastern Feng Ceremony" (). Duan likely sent the messenger to better understand the Chinese emperor. In 993, an agrarian rebellion led by Wang Xiaobo () and Li Shun () engulfed the Song

Xichuan Circuit Xichuan may refer to these places in China: * Xichuan County (淅川县), a county in Henan * Xichuan, Gansu (西川镇), a town in Qin'an County, Gansu * Xichuan Township (西川乡), a township in Ninglang Yi Autonomous County, Yunnan * Xichuan C ...

(now

Sichuan Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of the ...

), and the Song ''

huanguan A eunuch ( ) is a castrated man. Castration has had a social function in history. In China, castration included the removal of the penis and the testicles (emasculation). A knife removed both organs at the same time. Eunuchs have existed in Chin ...

'' (

eunuch A eunuch ( ) is a male who has been castrated. Throughout history, castration often served a specific social function. The earliest records for intentional castration to produce eunuchs are from the Sumerian city of Lagash in the 2nd millenni ...

) general

Wang Ji'en Wang Ji'en () (died 999), previously Zhang Dejun (), was an eunuch and a military general during imperial China's Later Zhou and the following Song dynasty. Under Later Zhou Wang Ji'en was born in Shanzhou (, modern Shan County, Henan). His ori ...

led an army to suppress it. Many Chinese refugees crossed the

Jinsha River The Jinsha River (, Tibetan: Dri Chu, འབྲི་ཆུ) is the Chinese name for the upper stretches of the Yangtze River. It flows through the provinces of Qinghai, Sichuan, and Yunnan in western China. The river passes through Tiger L ...

and entered Dali, and this likely played a major role in Duan Suying's adoption of Confucianism and the imperial examination system. Between 994 and 995, after the Song recovered most of Xichuan, it sent a diplomat named Xin Yixian () to the Dali capital Yangjumie as part of its counterinsurgency campaign. Xin Yixian later wrote a book titled ''Records of Yunnan During the'' Zhidao'' Period'' (; ''zhidao'' referring to the years 995–997). In 996, Duan Suying sent another mission led by Duan Yuanshun () to the Song capital, where they were "warmly received". In addition, Dali sent tributes to Song in 985, 989, 991, 997, 999, 1005, and 1008.

Era names

Duan Suying used at least five

era name A regnal year is a year of the reign of a sovereign, from the Latin ''regnum'' meaning kingdom, rule. Regnal years considered the date as an ordinal, not a cardinal number. For example, a monarch could have a first year of rule, a second year of ...

s:Du; Hu, p. 3. *''Guangming'' (, 986–988?) *''Mingsheng'' (, 989?–996) *''Mingzhi'' (, 997–?) *''Mingtong'' (, ?–1005) *''Mingying'' (, 1006–?) The first year of ''mingtong'' was after 1000, and ''mingying'' lasted until at least 1007. These era names suggest a prosperous economy and a stable society under him.

References

* Dali emperors {{DEFAULTSORT:Duan, Suying 10th-century Chinese monarchs Year of birth missing 1009 deaths