Duan Zhixing
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Duan Zhixing (, died 1200), also known by his
temple name Temple names are posthumous titles accorded to monarchs of the Sinosphere for the purpose of ancestor worship. The practice of honoring monarchs with temple names began during the Shang dynasty in China and had since been adopted by other dyna ...
as the Emperor Xuanzong of Dali, was the 18thIf Gao Shengtai's reign is taken into consideration, Duan Zhixing would have been the 19th emperor. Se

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 ...
between 1172 and 1200. Duan Zhixing's reign was marred by the power struggles within the influential Gao family, whose power had long eclipsed the ruling Duan family.


Reign

In 1173, Duan sent a party of 23 envoys, led by Li Guanyinde (李觀音得), to trade with the
Song dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...
in Hengshan Fort (橫山砦; in present-day Nanning, Guangxi). Li later removed Gao Shouchang (高壽昌), the Duke of Zhong (中國公), from power and replaced him with Gao Zhenming (高貞明; Gao Shouchang's nephew). Aji (阿機) rebelled and ousted Gao Zhenming, restoring Gao Shouchang back in his duke position. Gao Zhenming then occupied Heqing (鶴慶) and proclaimed himself the Duke of Ming (明國公) and gave himself a
temple name Temple names are posthumous titles accorded to monarchs of the Sinosphere for the purpose of ancestor worship. The practice of honoring monarchs with temple names began during the Shang dynasty in China and had since been adopted by other dyna ...
, effectively declaring independence from the Kingdom of Dali. Another member of the Gao clan, Gao Miaoyin (高妙音), also rebelled in Baiya (白崖) and occupied Shanchan (鄯闡). He made a pact with his nephews, Gao Chengxian (高成賢) and Gao Chengzheng (高成正), to prevent them from taking over Shanchan. However, Gao's nephews betrayed him later and started a war with their uncle. It is unknown if these developments had any long term consequences. Duan initiated several construction projects in Dali. Being a devout
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 ...
like his predecessors, he repaired 16 Buddhist temples in 1190. In 1195, he ordered the building of defensive infrastructure at crucial entry points into Dali. Five years later, he died and was succeeded by his son, Duan Zhilian (段智廉).


Era names

Duan Zhixing had five era names in the twenty-eight years of his reign. *Lizhen (利貞; 1172–1175) *Shengde (盛德; 1176–1180) *Jiahui (嘉會; 1181–1184) *Yuanheng (元亨; 1185–1196?) *Anding (安定; 1197–1200)


In fiction

Duan Zhixing is fictionalised as a character in the
wuxia ( ), which literally means "martial heroes", is a genre of Chinese fiction concerning the adventures of martial artists in ancient China. Although is traditionally a form of historical fiction, its popularity has caused it to be adapted ...
novels ''
The Legend of the Condor Heroes ''The Legend of the Condor Heroes'' is a wuxia novel by Chinese writer Jin Yong (Louis Cha). It is the first part of the '' Condor Trilogy'' and is followed by '' The Return of the Condor Heroes'' and '' The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber''. I ...
'' and ''
The Return of the Condor Heroes ''The Return of the Condor Heroes'', also called ''The Giant Eagle and Its Companion'', is a wuxia novel by Jin Yong (Louis Cha). It is the second part of the '' Condor Trilogy'' and was preceded by '' The Legend of the Condor Heroes'' and foll ...
'' by Jin Yong. In the novels, Duan Zhixing was the ruler of Dali and one of the Five Greats, the five most powerful martial artists in the ''
jianghu ''Jianghu'' () is a term that generally refers to the milieu, environment, or sub-community in which many Chinese wuxia stories are set. The term is used flexibly, and can be used to describe a fictionalized version of Historical China (usually ...
'' (martial artists' community) of his time, alongside
Wang Chongyang Wang Chongyang (11 January 1113 – 22 January 1170; Chinese calendar: 22nd day, 12th month, 2nd year, Zhenghe era in the reign of Emperor Huizong of Song - 4th day, 1st month, 10th year, Dading era in the reign of Emperor Shizong of Jin) wa ...
,
Huang Yaoshi Huang Yaoshi is a fictional character in the wuxia novel ''The Legend of the Condor Heroes'' and its sequel, ''The Return of the Condor Heroes'', by Jin Yong. He is one of the Five Greats of the '' wulin'' (martial artists' community) during the ...
,
Ouyang Feng Ouyang Feng is a fictional character in the wuxia novel ''The Legend of the Condor Heroes'' and its sequel, ''The Return of the Condor Heroes'', by Jin Yong. He is the "Western Venom" of the Five Greats of the '' wulin'' (martial artists' commun ...
and
Hong Qigong Hong Qi, better known as Hong Qigong,The "gōng" (), which means "grandfather", is not part of his name. His apprentices, followers and younger generations call him "Qīgōng" (; "Grandpa Qi") to show their respect for him as an elder and their ...
. His nickname is "Southern Emperor" () and his signature skill is the Yiyang Finger (), which allows him to project streams of energy from his fingers. He also learnt the First Heaven Skill (), an inner energy skill, from Wang Chongyang in exchange for teaching the latter the Yiyang Finger. He is the descendant of Duan Yu, a protagonist in Demi-God and Semi-Devils. By the time of the events of the first novel, Duan Zhixing has abdicated and become a Buddhist monk under the name "Reverend Yideng" (). He makes his first appearance when the protagonist
Guo Jing Guo Jing is the fictional protagonist of the wuxia novel '' The Legend of the Condor Heroes'' by Jin Yong. He also appears as a supporting character in the sequel, '' The Return of the Condor Heroes'', and is mentioned by name in '' The Heaven ...
and his love interest
Huang Rong Huang Rong is a fictional female protagonist in the wuxia novel ''The Legend of the Condor Heroes'' by Jin Yong. She also appears as a supporting character in the sequel, ''The Return of the Condor Heroes''. In ''The Legend of the Condor Heroes ...
seek help from him after Huang Rong is critically wounded, and he uses his skills to heal Huang Rong of her internal injuries. Towards the end of the novel, he shows up again to help Guo Jing and Huang Rong deal with a minor villain, Qiu Qianren, whom he saves from death and accepts as an apprentice. Yideng makes brief appearances in the second novel. By then, Dali has been conquered by the Mongol Empire, which is also at war with the
Song Empire The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...
. Yideng appears in Passionless Valley to help the protagonists
Yang Guo Yang Guo, courtesy name Gaizhi, is the fictional protagonist of the wuxia novel ''The Return of the Condor Heroes'' by Jin Yong. Birth and heritage Yang Guo traces his lineage to Yang Zaixing, a Song general who participated in the Jin–Song W ...
and Xiaolongnü deal with the villains Gongsun Zhi and Qiu Qianchi, and briefly participates in the Battle of Xiangyang against the Mongols. At the end of the novel, he retains his position as one of the Five Greats in the ''jianghu'' but his nickname changes to "Southern Monk" () to reflect his new status.


Notes


References

* Yang Zhen and Hu Wei, ''Zengding Nanzhao Yeshi'
vol. 1
(『増訂南詔野史』(明・楊愼輯,清・胡蔚訂正)) {{DEFAULTSORT:Duan, Zhixing 1200 deaths Dali emperors Year of birth unknown 12th-century Chinese monarchs