The Han conquest of Dian was a series of military campaigns and expeditions by the Chinese

Han dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...

recorded in contemporary textual sources against the Kingdom of

Dian Dian may refer to: Places * Dian Kingdom, ancient kingdom in modern Yunnan province, China * ''Diān'' (滇), an official abbreviation for Yunnan province * Lake Dian, a lake in Yunnan * Dian, Armenia, a village * People * Dian (given name), a lis ...

in modern

Yunnan Yunnan , () is a landlocked Provinces of China, province in Southwest China, 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 ...

. Dian was placed under Han rule in 109 BC, after Emperor Han Wudi dispatched an army against the kingdom as the empire expanded southward.

Background

Dian was an ancient kingdom situated in modern

, southwestern China. According to Han historian,

Sima Qian Sima Qian (; ; ) was a Chinese historian of the early Han dynasty (206AD220). He is considered the father of Chinese historiography for his ''Records of the Grand Historian'', a general history of China covering more than two thousand years b ...

, it was established in 279 BC by Zhuang Qiao, a general of

Chu Chu or CHU may refer to: Chinese history * Chu (state) (c. 1030 BC–223 BC), a state during the Zhou dynasty * Western Chu (206 BC–202 BC), a state founded and ruled by Xiang Yu * Chu Kingdom (Han dynasty) (201 BC–70 AD), a kingdom of the Ha ...

during the

Warring States period The Warring States period () was an era in History of China#Ancient China, ancient Chinese history characterized by warfare, as well as bureaucratic and military reforms and consolidation. It followed the Spring and Autumn period and concluded ...

. He was sent to the region around Dian Lake as part of a Chu military campaign. When the Chu homeland was invaded by the

Qin Qin may refer to: Dynasties and states * Qin (state) (秦), a major state during the Zhou Dynasty of ancient China * Qin dynasty (秦), founded by the Qin state in 221 BC and ended in 206 BC * Daqin (大秦), ancient Chinese name for the Roman Emp ...

, Zhuang Qiao decided to stay in Yunnan and established the Dian kingdom. The

Qin dynasty The Qin dynasty ( ; zh, c=秦朝, p=Qín cháo, w=), or Ch'in dynasty in Wade–Giles romanization ( zh, c=, p=, w=Ch'in ch'ao), was the first Dynasties in Chinese history, dynasty of Imperial China. Named for its heartland in Qin (state), ...

was subsequently overthrown by the Han, and the commanderies of the new dynasty, Ba and Shu, bordered Dian. In 135 BC, the Han envoy Tang Meng brought gifts to the king of

Yelang Yelang, also Zangke, was an ancient political entity first described in the 3rd century BC in what is now western Guizhou province, China. It was active for over 200 years. The state is known to modern Chinese from the idiom, "Yelang thinks too ...

, a kingdom bordering Dian, and convinced him to submit to the Han. The Jianwei Commandery was established in the region. In 122 BC, Emperor Wu dispatched four groups of envoys to the southwest in search of a route to

Daxia Daxia, Ta-Hsia, or Ta-Hia (; literally: 'Great Xia') was apparently the name given in antiquity by the Han Chinese to Tukhara or Tokhara: the main part of Bactria, in what is now northern Afghanistan, and parts of southern Tajikistan and Uzbek ...

in Central Asia. One group was welcomed by the king of Dian but none of them were able to make it any further as they were blocked from going any further north by the Sui and

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 ...

tribes in the

Erhai Erhai or Er Lake (), is an alpine fault lake in Yunnan province, China. Erhai was also known as Yeyuze () or Kunming Lake () in ancient times. Etymology The character "洱" (er) does not have the same meaning as ear (耳). During the Han to Tang ...

region and the Di and Zuo tribes in the south. However they learned that further west there was a kingdom called Dianyue where the people rode elephants and traded with the merchants from Shu in secret. Han observers saw Dian as a potential periphery that could absorbed by the empire beyond its frontiers. Dian was a major business center, linked by networks of prosperous trading routes to modern South and Southeast Asia. The trade connections were seen as attractive to the Han rulers as they desired areas with prosperous maritime trade routes. These incentives motivated Emperor Wu to extend the Han dynasty's control further southwest to secure access to products such as silk and bamboo, iron, tine, and silver.

Campaigns

A military campaign dispatched by Emperor Han Wudi in 109 BC invaded and annexed the Dian Kingdom.

Aftermath

The Dian Kingdom was conquered by the Han Empire in 109 BC and turned into a tributary state. As the following centuries went by, the Dian assimilated into Han Chinese culture and were virtually extinct by the 11th century AD. It is apparent in the artifacts uncovered by archaeologists in the area. Mirrors, coins, ceramics, and bronze items manufactured in the Han style have been found in modern Yunnan. Dian artifacts, once visually distinct from the Han, borrowed heavily from Han imports by 100 BC, indicative of Dian's assimilation into Han Chinese culture. Sinification of these peoples was brought about by a combination of Han imperial military power, regular Han Chinese settlement and an influx of Han refugees. Yizhou commandery was established in the former kingdom. Dian's surrender was verified by archaeologists, who discovered an imperial seal inscribed by the Han for the king of Dian. There were a series of unsuccessful rebellions by the Dian against Han rule. The first two incidents occurred in 86 BC and 83 BC. A rebellion in 35 BC–28 BC was suppressed by Chen Li, governor of the Zangke commandery. More violence surfaced during

Wang Mang Wang Mang () (c. 45 – 6 October 23 CE), courtesy name Jujun (), was the founder and the only Emperor of China, emperor of the short-lived Chinese Xin dynasty. He was originally an official and consort kin of the Han dynasty and later ...

's usurpation of the Han emperor and reign in 9–23. Wang responded by dispatching military campaigns against the southwest. One campaign lost 70% of its soldiers due to illness. Another, with 100,000 men and twice the amount of supplies, had little success. Rebellions also occurred in 42–45 and 176. During Emperor Ming of Han's reign in 57–75, the Han expanded further west of Dian and established a new commandery called Yongchang. In 114, Dian tribes residing west of Yuexi/Yuesui Commandery accepted Han rule. Emperor Huangti embarked on a sinicization campaign during his reign between 146 and 168 that introduced Han Chinese ethics and culture to the Dian tribes.

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * * * * {{Han dynasty topics 2nd-century BC conflicts 2nd century BC in China Campaigns of the Han dynasty Emperor Wu of Han Military history of Yunnan