Southern Song1276–1278
景炎
Zhao Shi (趙昰), known by his temple name Duanzong, was born in 1269 and died in 1278. He was the seventeenth emperor of the Song dynasty and the eighth and penultimate emperor of the Southern Song.
A son of Emperor Duzong, he was the elder brother of his predecessor, Emperor Gong. Loyalists proclaimed him emperor at Fuzhou in 1276, and he spent his short reign, under the era name Jingyan (景炎), in flight from the Mongols along the southern coast.
From the late 1260s the Mongols pressed the Southern Song on several fronts, helped by Chinese auxiliary troops and by foreign engineers who built powerful siege engines. The key target was Xiangyang, a fortress city on the Han River that barred the way to the Yangtze.
The Mongols besieged Xiangyang for about five years. In 1273 its commander, Lü Wenhuan, surrendered after being promised that the people would be spared, and he then took office under the Mongols.
The road down the Yangtze was now open to Kublai Khan's armies. Early in 1276 they reached the Song capital, Lin'an (modern Hangzhou), which surrendered. The young Emperor Gong and senior members of the imperial family were taken north as captives.
Before the capital fell, Zhao Shi and his younger brother Zhao Bing had been taken to safety in the south. With them went a small group of loyal ministers and relatives, among them the official Lu Xiufu, the general Zhang Shijie, the chancellor Chen Yizhong and Consort Yang.
Later in 1276 Zhao Shi was enthroned at Fuzhou as Emperor Duanzong, and the Jingyan era began. Lu Xiufu was given charge of military affairs, with the task of continuing the resistance.
The Mongols soon pressed into Fujian, and the court took to the sea, moving south along the coast towards Guangdong. Loyalist resistance continued on land, but the emperor and his ministers were never again safe on the mainland.
The fleeing court spent time at several places along the Guangdong coast, including the area of present-day Kowloon in Hong Kong, then no more than a scattering of fishing villages.
The emperor's stay is remembered at Sung Wong Toi, the "Terrace of the Song Kings". The name was carved on a great boulder on Sacred Hill in Ma Tau Chung, above Kowloon Bay. The hill was levelled during the Japanese occupation in the Second World War to extend Kai Tak airport, but the inscribed section of the rock was saved and now stands in Sung Wong Toi Garden.
In 1278 the young emperor was thrown into the sea when his boat capsized during the flight from the Mongols. He was rescued, but he fell ill and died later that year, not yet ten years old. His death was a heavy blow to the loyalists, and some of their soldiers deserted.
His younger brother Zhao Bing was proclaimed in his place and is known as Emperor Bing, the last emperor of the Song. Lu Xiufu and Zhang Shijie now led the government in exile. With Wen Tianxiang, they are remembered as the three great loyalists of the late Song.
The end came in 1279 at the Battle of Yamen, off the Guangdong coast, where the Song fleet was destroyed by the Yuan. Lu Xiufu is said to have leapt into the sea carrying the boy emperor, and with him the Song dynasty came to an end.
The fine wares of the Southern Song, above all its celadons, are represented in our Song dynasty porcelain collection.
Celadon Vase with Carved Peony Medallions, Song to Yuan Dynasty
Ovoid celadon vase with loop handles round the neck, the shoulder carved in relief with peony blossoms in large round medallions above a fluted lower body, Song to Yuan dynasty.
Celadon Jar with a Fluted Melon-Shaped Body, Song Dynasty
Squat celadon jar with a fluted, melon-shaped body and a short upright rim, covered in an even grey-green glaze, Song dynasty.
Celadon Vase with Two Loop Handles and Carved Lotus, Song Dynasty
Celadon vase with a ribbed, flaring neck and two loop handles, the rounded body carved with lotus among leaves and stems, Song dynasty.
Ewer with a Pale Glaze and a Ridged Shoulder, Song Dynasty
Undecorated ewer under a pale greyish buff glaze, with a straight-sided body, a raised ridge below the shoulder, a tall neck, a curved spout and a loop handle, Song dynasty.
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