Princess Duan Sengnu was a Yuan Dynasty princess and a descendant of Kublai Khan.[1] She has often been overshadowed by her more famous mother, Princess Agai.[2] Princess Duan Sengnu’s father was murdered by her maternal grandfather.[3] She harboured a desire to get revenge on her grandfather.[4] Like her mother, Princess Duan Sengnu is most famous for her poetry.
The birthdate of Princess Duan Sengnu is unknown. She was a descendant of the Kublai Khan.[5] Her maternal grandfather was Prince Basalawarmi (the Prince of Liang), who was a loyalist of the Yuan Dynasty and often fought against the Ming Dynasty.[6] Princess Duan Sengnu’s mother was Princess Agai.[7] Her father was Duan Gong (the Hereditary Route Commander of Dali).[8] She had a brother named Prince Duan Bao.[9] Duan Gong was murdered by Prince Basalawarmi because he feared that Duan Gong would seize control of Yunnan.[10] Princess Duan Sengnu secretly desired revenge for her murdered father.[11]
A marriage for Princess Duan Sengnu was arranged with a man named Ali of Jianchang (located in modern-day Xichang, Sichuan Province).[12] Before she left for Jianchang, she embroidered a flag that symbolised her thirst for revenge and gave it to Prince Duan Bao.[13] She told him that she regretted that she was not a man because she could not carry out her revenge.[14] She also promised that she would send soldiers to support Prince Duan Bao to defeat their grandfather, Prince Basalawarmi.[15] She then gave him a poem she wrote, titled “For My Nephew Bao.” The poem went:
“Coral lures me from my home,
Tears fill my eyes and drench my lapels.
I grew up in front of a watery mirror on a silver stand,
The seed of golden branches and jade leaves
The golden crow and the jade hare chase one another day and night,
Fragrance of the cassia and the plum blossom are always in their proper season.
Sorrowfully, reluctantly, farewells are said
My distress is enough to weigh down Mount Diancang.”[16]
Princess Duan Sengnu’s fate after she left for Jianchang is unknown.[17] It is not known whether she had a happy marriage with Ali or if she ever had any children.[18] The cause of her death and her death date are unknown.[19] However, Prince Basalawarmi attacked Daidu (a city where Prince Duan Bao was its leader) a few times.[20] When Ming Yuzhen again attempted to invade Yunnan, Prince Duan Bao refused to help Prince Basalawarmi.[21] The two eventually agreed to a truce and defeated Ming Yuzhen’s army in 1366.[22] Princess Duan Sengnu has been praised for trying to get revenge on her father.[23] Princess Duan Sengnu’s lasting legacy is her poem, which has been praised for many centuries.[24]
Sources:
Bryson, M. (2016). Goddess on the Frontier: Religion, Ethnicity, and Gender in Southwest China. Redwood City, CaA: Stanford University Press.
Parker, E. H. (1893). “The Old Thai or Shan Empire of Western Yunnan”. [PDF]. The China Review. 20(6): 345.
Xu, S. & Lee, L. X. H. (trans.). (2014). “Duan Sengnu.” Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women, Volume II: Tang Through Ming 618 – 1644. (Xiao, H. Lee, L., Ed. & Wiles, S. Ed.) NY: Routledge. pp. 54-56.
[1] Xu, 2014; Parker 1893
[2] Xu, 2014; Bryson, 2016
[3] Xu, 2014
[4] Xu, 2014; Bryson, 2016
[5] Xu, 2014; Parker, 1893
[6] Parker, 1893
[7] Xu, 2014; Bryson, 2016
[8] Xu, 2015; Bryson, 2016
[9] Xu, 2014; Bryson, 2016
[10] Xu, 2014
[11] Xu, 2014; Bryson, 2016
[12] Xu, 2014
[13] Xu, 2014
[14] Xu, 2014
[15] Xu, 2014
[16] Xu, 2014, p. 55
[17] Xu, 2014
[18] Xu, 2014
[19] Xu, 2014
[20] Xu, 2014
[21] Xu, 2014
[22] Xu, 2014
[23] Xu, 2014; Bryson, 2016
[24] Xu, 2014
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