In 1253, it was conquered by the Mongols but members of its former ruling house continued to administer the area as tusi chiefs under the auspices of the Yuan dynasty until the Ming conquest of Yunnan in 1382.

For a few square inches of Shuimohuashi, a particularly precious type of marble, dealers in Hong Kong or Shanghai can charge up to $20,000.

A significant change from Nanzhao is apparent in Dali rulers’ naming practices, which generally do not follow the patronymic linkage system.

When the first Song emperor, Taizu, came to power, he declared that, in light of Tang difficulties in the Southwest, he would forfeit the Yue and Sui Commanderies and use the Dadu River as the border with Dali.

[9]According to a Vietnamese stone inscription[further explanation needed], in 1096 a Dali magician was said to have plotted a conspiracy to murder King Lý Nhân Tông.

After the death of Nhân Tông in 1127, his adopted son (by concubine) named Zhizhi had escaped to Dali, changed his surname to Zhao, and assumed the title pingwang (peaceful king).

The western column was led by Uriyangkhadai, who was the son of Subutai, and he was instructed to march from Lintao through Kham into Dali.

[11] The king of Dali, Duan Xingzhi, fled to the town of Shanchan (near modern Kunming) and rallied pro-Dali forces to oppose the Mongol invasion.

After the Ming conquest of Yunnan,[14] the members of the Duan clan were scattered in various distant areas of China by the Hongwu Emperor.

[15] Uriyangkhadai remained in Yunnan to oversee Duan's rule of Dali and to push further east into the Song dynasty.

Mongols and Central Asians filled brigade commander positions while members of the local elite staffed the subbrigade battalions.

[16] In late 1256, Uriyangkhadai forced the local collaborators in Shanchan to attack the Yi kingdoms in eastern Yunnan and western Guizhou.

The Song backed forces invaded the Shanchan region in support of an anti-Mongol rebellion led by Sheliwei.

Fierce fighting continued between the Mongol-Dali forces and the Shanchan resistance until Sheliwei was killed in a Mongol ambush in 1274.

The Yunnan Branch Secretariat was divided into ten circuits, each headed by a pacification commissioner (xuanwei shi).

Three, they would follow the rules of appointment, succession, promotion, degradation, reward, and punishment of native chieftains created by the Yuan court.

[15] In the Shanchan region of central Yunnan, Sayyid' Ajall created eight routes: Zhongqing, Dengjiang, Lingan, Yuanjiang, Guangxi, Qujing, Wuding, and Weichu.

In Shanchan, he oversaw hydraulic projects such as dam and reservoir construction, river and canal dredging for transportation purposes, and draining swamps for land reclamation.

[22] Farming households and garrisons were set up as far south as Dechang to expand agricultural production and to maintain the highway and its postal stations for the government.

[15] The 10th Governor-General of Dali Duan Gong was married to the Mongol Borjigin Princess Agai, daughter of the Yuan dynasty Prince of Liang, Basalawarmi.

The Duan clan, who helped the Yuan dynasty against a Red Turban Rebellion attack from Sichuan, also fought against the Ming army.

In 1382 Lan Yu and Mu Ying's forces attacked and crushed Duan's realm after a fierce battle.

[44] The rulers of Dali continued the traditions of Nanzhao, such as the royal title piaoxin (Lord of Pyu), the use of the same tall crowns, and taking Acuoye Guanyin as their tutelary deity.

[47] However the ruling elite also used Bai language for communication, but no attempt was made to standardize or popularize the script, and it remained an unofficial writing system.

[49] According to Stevan Harrell, while the ethnic identity of Nanzhao's ruling elite is still disputed, the subsequent Yang and Duan dynasties were both definitely Bai.

[51] Fan Chengda (1126-1193) encountered a Dali trade mission and noted that they sought Chinese literature, medical texts, Buddhist scriptures, and dictionaries in return for horses.