Duan Siping

{{Infobox royalty

|name = Emperor Taizu of Dali
{{nobold|大理太祖}}

|succession = Emperor of Dali

|reign = 937–944

| image = 句町王庙 - 段思平像 - 2023-08-18.jpg

| image_size = 230px

| alt =

| caption = Statue of Duan Siping enshrined in the Juchang King Temple in Tonghai County

|successor = Duan Siying

|birth_place = Xizhou, Dali

|birth_date = 893

|death_place = Dengzhou

|death_date = {{Death year and age|944|893}}

|temple name = Taizu (太祖)

|posthumous name = Emperor Shengshen Wenwu (聖神文武皇帝)

|era dates = Wende (文德; 937–944)

|dynasty = Dali

|father=Duan Baolong

}}

{{Infobox chinese

|c=段思平

|p=Duàn Sīpíng

}}

Duan Siping ({{zh|c=段思平|p=Duàn Sīpíng}}, IPA: {{IPAc-cmn|d|uan|4|-|s|i|1|.|p|ing|2}}; Bai: Duainb six-pienp{{cite book|url = http://www.dali.gov.cn/dlrmzf/c101684/202203/528f592e7c6548c69fd94a737f52b136/files/219c9450f8264df6a40086d81bd72599.pdf |title = 白汉词典（现行白文第一版20220310）|language=Chinese | page= 63}}), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Taizu of Dali, was the founder and first emperor of the Dali Kingdom.{{cite web|url=http://www.kepu.net.cn/gb/civilization/nation/hundred/hun307.html|title=民族博物馆＿中国科普博览|website=www.kepu.net.cn}} The Dali Kingdom would last until the Mongol conquest in 1253 led by Kublai Khan and its territories would later be ruled by the Yuan dynasty.{{sfnp|Zhao|2002}}

Biography

Duan Siping was a member of the Bai ethnic group. The Duan clan is professed to also have Han ancestry.{{cite book|author=Frederick W. Mote|title=Imperial China 900-1800|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SQWW7QgUH4gC&pg=PA710|year=2003|publisher=Harvard University Press|isbn=978-0-674-01212-7|pages=710–}}{{sfnp|Mote|2003|p=710}} The Dian zaiji ({{zh |t = 滇載記}}) records that Duan's ancestor was from Wuwei and, having assisted the Meng clan in battle, was awarded with political rank. However, "his descendant six generations later, Siping, was born under different omens."“六传而生思平，思平生有异兆。” {{harv|Yang|1500s}}

Duan was a governor of Tonghai County. Yang Ganzhen ({{zh |t = 楊干貞 }}), ruler of the Dayining kingdom, feared him and attempted to imprison.{{sfn|Yang|1500s}} Duan went into hiding and gathered soldiers and horses to fight. Allegedly, Duan was eating a wild peach, when he noticed two characters written on the fruit's skin: qing xi 青昔. Duan determined that the first character, qing, referred to the twelfth month, whilst the second, xi, indicated the twenty-first day. He understood this as an omen of when he should attack Great Yining.“思平折之曰：「青乃十二月，昔乃二十一日。今杨氏政乱，吾当以是日举义乎？」”{{harv|Yang|1500s}}