Duan Zhixing

Duan Zhixing
Emperor of Dali
Reign	1172–1200
Predecessor	Duan Zhengxing
Successor	Duan Zhilian
Issue
Duan Zhilian
Full name
Family name: Duan (段) Given name: Zhixing (智興)
Era dates
Lizhen (1172–1175) Shengde (1176–1180) Jiahui (1181–1184) Yuanheng (1185–1195) Anding (1195–1200)
Posthumous name
Short: Emperor Gongji (功極帝)
Temple name
Xuanzong (宣宗)
House	Dali
Father	Duan Zhengxing
Died	1200

This is a Chinese name; the family name is Duan.

Duan Zhixing (Chinese: 段智興; temple name Xuanzong; posthumous name Gongji) was the 18th^[1] ruler of the Kingdom of Dali (present-day Yunnan, China) between 1172 and 1200. Duan'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 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, 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 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
Created by	Jin Yong
Novel appearances	The Legend of the Condor Heroes, The Return of the Condor Heroes
Information
Nickname(s)	"Southern Emperor" (南帝), "Southern Monk" (南僧)
Alias(es)	"Reverend Yideng" (一燈大師)
Gender	Male
Spouse(s)	Liu Ying (concubine)
Affliations
Sects and organizations	Kingdom of Dali
Disciples	Diancang Yuyin, Zhang Shaoshou, Wu Santong, Zhu Ziliu, Ci'en (Qiu Qianren)
Skills and abilities
Neigong	First Heaven Skill, Nine Yin Manual skills
Unarmed combat skills	Yiyang Finger

Duan is featured as a character in Jin Yong's wuxia novel The Legend of the Condor Heroes and its sequel The Return of the Condor Heroes. Duan is depicted as a formidable pugilist and is named as one of the Five Greats (the five most powerful pugilists in the jianghu), alongside Wang Chongyang, Huang Yaoshi, Ouyang Feng, Hong Qigong. In the first novel, Duan emerges as one of the Five Greats after the first martial arts contest on Mount Hua and earns himself the title of "Southern Emperor" (南帝). Duan is famous for his trademark martial arts technique, known as "Yiyang Finger" (一陽指).

Roles

The Legend of the Condor Heroes

In his early years as the emperor of the Kingdom of Dali, Duan is extremely obsessed with martial arts and neglects his concubine Liu Ying. Liu has an extra-marital affair with Zhou Botong and conceives a son with Zhou secretly. However, the infant is critically wounded by a masked man in black (later revealed to be Qiu Qianren). Liu pleads with Duan Zhixing to save her child's life but Duan refuses and the infant dies. Liu swears vengeance on Duan and leaves him to lead a reclusive life in the Black Swamp, where she plots her revenge. Duan feels remorseful later and he abdicates to become a Buddhist monk under the alias "Reverend Yideng" (一燈大師). His top four government officials, Diancang Yuyin, Zhang Shaoshou, Wu Santong and Zhu Ziliu, follow him to practise Buddhism and they disguise themselves respectively as a fisherman, woodcutter, farmer and scholar.

When Huang Rong is injured by Qiu Qianren later, Guo Jing brings Huang to Dali to seek help. They encounter Liu Ying (renamed to Yinggu), who directs them to Yideng. Yideng uses his immense inner energy and the "Yiyang Finger" to cure Huang Rong, at the expense of his life. Yinggu appears after that to kill Yideng, as she knows that he is now deprived of energy and weakened. However, Guo and Huang intervene and stop Yinggu. Yideng recovers after Guo imparts the Nine Yin Manual to him. Yideng appears in the final chapters of the novel during the second martial arts contest held on Mount Hua. Qiu is present there too and he falls off a cliff after losing his footing, but Yideng saves his life. Qiu is ashamed of his past misdeeds and grateful to Yideng for saving his life, such that he agrees to become a Buddhist monk to atone for his sins, with Yideng as his mentor.

The Return of the Condor Heroes

Yideng makes brief appearances in the sequel novel. By then, Dali has been conquered by the Mongols under Kublai Khan's leadership, and they are forming a two-pronged attack on the Song Dynasty from the north and south. Yideng participates in the Battle of Xiangyang and helps the Song citizens fight the Mongol invaders. Yideng is also present at the battle in Passionless Valley, where he helps Yang Guo and Xiaolongnü deal with Gongsun Zhi and Qiu Qianchi.

Martial arts and skills

• Yiyang Finger (一陽指) - Yideng's trademark martial arts technique. The skill allows him to fire streams of energy from his fingers and deal a great amount of damage at opponents. Yideng also uses this technique to save the lives of people who have been poisoned or have sustained internal injuries, by purging the venom from their bodies or clearing their meridians to improve blood and energy circulation.

• First Heaven Skill (先天功)

Notes

1. ^ If Gao Shengtai's reign is taken into consideration, Duan Zhixing would have been the 19th emperor. See [1].

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）)

Preceded by Duan Zhengxing

Emperor of Dali 1172 AD–1200 AD

Succeeded by Duan Zhilian

Persondata
Name	Duan, Zhixing
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth
Place of birth
Date of death	1200
Place of death