The Manchu White Banner were joined by some Zhejiang Han Chinese with the family name Tao who defected to the Manchus towards the end of the Ming dynasty.

[4] Duanfang passed the Imperial Examination in 1882 during the reign of the Guangxu Emperor, and then served as a yuanwailang (員外郎) before being promoted to langzhong (郎中).

In his successive posts, he encouraged students to study abroad, known as an enlightened person, "enthusiastic in experience in foreign and domestic affairs."

When the five ministers embarked on that day, a revolutionary, Wu Yue, activated a suicide bomb at the Zhengyangmen train station in an assassination attempt, resulting in the postponement of the journey.

After their return, Duanfang gave a summary of their inspection, advocating strongly that the main source of study should be on the Japanese Meiji Restoration, and as fast as possible formulate the Qing Empire's Constitution.

On September 7, due to a murder in Chengdu, the situation of Sichuan spiraled out of control, eventually resulting in the Xinhai Revolution.

The new army mutinied on November 27, and officer Liu Yifeng killed Duanfang, as part of a general wave of anti Manchu violence during the revolution.

While he was governor of Jiangsu, determined to get rid of bad habits, he ordered counties to refund red envelopes to send two local students to study abroad.

[7] After he died in Sichuan, his children lived in poverty, and in 1924 they sold his most famous collection, a set of Shang dynasty bronze artifacts, for about 20 million taels of silver to John Calvin Ferguson.