Emperor Duanzong

Emperor Duanzong of Song (10 July 1269 – 8 May 1278), personal name Zhao Shi, was the 17th emperor of the Song dynasty in China and the eighth and penultimate emperor of the Southern Song dynasty. He was the fifth son of Emperor Duzong and an elder brother of his predecessor, Emperor Gong and successor Zhao Bing.

Emperor Duanzong of Song 宋端宗
Emperor of the Song dynasty
Reign	14 June 1276 – 8 May 1278
Coronation	14 June 1276
Predecessor	Emperor Gong
Successor	Zhao Bing
Born	Zhao Shi 10 July 1269 Hangzhou, China
Died	8 May 1278 (aged 8) Mui Wo, Hong Kong
Era dates Jingyan (景炎; 1276–1278) Posthumous name Yuwen Zhaowu Minxiao Huangdi (裕文昭武愍孝皇帝) or Xiaogong Renyu Cisheng Ruiwen Yingwu Qinzheng Huangdi (孝恭仁裕慈聖睿文英武勤政皇帝) Temple name Duanzong (端宗)
House	House of Zhao
Father	Emperor Duzong
Mother	Lady Yang

Emperor Duanzong of Song
Chinese	宋端宗
Literal meaning	"Final Ancestor of the Song"
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Sòng Duānzōng
Zhao Shi
Traditional Chinese	趙昰
Simplified Chinese	赵昰
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Zhào Shì

Emperor Gong along with Grand Dowager Xie surrendered to the Mongol Empire in 1276 after the fall of the Song capital, Lin'an (present-day Hangzhou). Zhao Shi and his seventh brother, Zhao Bing, managed to escape southward to Fujian Province, where the new Song capital was established. On June 14, 1276, Zhao Shi was enthroned as the new Emperor Duanzong who ruled under the era name "Jingyan" (景炎; literally: "bright flame"). However, in early 1278, the Mongols broke through the Song dynasty's last lines of defence, forcing Zhao Shi to flee again.[1] Accompanied by loyal ministers such as Lu Xiufu and Zhang Shijie, Zhao Shi boarded a ship and fled further south to Guangdong Province. In March 1278, while fleeing from the Mongols led by Liu Shen, in a hurricane, Zhao Shi fell from a boat and almost drowned. Thereafter, he stayed temporarily in Hong Kong which at that time was a small fishing village. He died a few months later in Gangzhou (碙州; present-day Mui Wo, Lantau Island, Hong Kong)[1] due to Illness. He was succeeded by his seventh brother, Zhao Bing, who was enthroned in Mui Wo, the same village where Zhao Shi nearly drowned and died. The body of Zhao Shi is buried in Sung Wing Fuk Ling (宋永福陵). The actual area of the tomb is still unknown and undiscovered.

The historical relic Sung Wong Toi in present-day Hong Kong's Kowloon City commemorates Zhao Shi's escape to Hong Kong.

Family

Brothers:

• Emperor Gong of Song (personal name Zhao Xian) - Younger brother and predecessor of Emperor Duanzong; Sixth Son of Zhao Qi
• Emperor Bing of Song (personal name Zhao Bing) - Younger brother and successor of Emperor Duanzong; Seventh and Youngest son of Zhao Qi; Final emperor of the Song dynasty

Ancestry

Zhao Shiyi

Zhao Xilu

Lady Shi

Zhao Yurui (1207–1287)

Quan Dajie

Lady Quan

Lady Wang

Emperor Duzong of Song (1240–1274)

Huang Dingxi

Emperor Duanzong of Song (1269–1278)

Yang Chaosun

Yang Gui

Yang Fengchen

Lady Huang

Empress Dowager Yang (d. 1279)

Lady Wang

See also

• Chinese emperors family tree (middle)
• List of emperors of the Song dynasty
• Architecture of the Song dynasty
• Culture of the Song dynasty
• Economy of the Song dynasty
• History of the Song dynasty
• Society of the Song dynasty
• Technology of the Song dynasty

References

1. Wintle, Justin. [2002] (2002). China. ISBN 1-85828-764-2

• Toqto'a, ed. (1343). History of Song. Volume 47.