Kublai Khan Quelling Yunnan Tablet in Dali City

The Stele Commemorating Kublai Khan’s Pacification of Yunnan (元世祖平云南碑) is located northeast of Dazhi Fang Village (大纸房村) under the Ximen Village Committee (西门村委会) in Dali Town (大理镇), Dali City (大理市), Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture (大理白族自治州), Yunnan Province (云南省). The inscription was composed by Yuan Dynasty scholar-official Cheng Jufu (程钜夫), also known as Cheng Wenhai (程文海), under an imperial edict from Emperor Chengzong of Yuan (元成宗).

The text praises the military achievements of Kublai Khan (忽必烈) and records the strategies and policies he adopted in pacifying the Kingdom of Dali (大理国). The monument consists of a pedestal, stele body, stele head, and protective frame, and has significant historical value for studying the early Yuan Dynasty’s political, military, and local history of Yunnan.

On June 25, 2001, it was designated by the State Council of the People’s Republic of China as part of the fifth batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units.

Historical Background

The stele was erected more than 50 years after Kublai Khan’s conquest of Yunnan and over 30 years after the Yuan Dynasty unified China. In the 8th year of the Dade era (1304), Yesuder (也速答儿), Chief Councilor of Yunnan, proposed the erection of the monument. The text was written by Hanlin Academy scholar Cheng Wenhai in response to an imperial order.

In 1967, the stele was toppled. In 1975, the Dali County Cultural Center re-erected it, adding a granite protective frame and reinforcement at the joint of the two stone slabs, and built a protective wall. In 1988, the Dali Prefecture Government funded the expansion of the wall. In 1991, the Dali City Cultural Heritage Administration built a five-room wooden structure behind the stele and added protective and explanatory markers, fulfilling all four essential protection measures for cultural relics.

Architectural Features

The monument is composed of four parts:

• Pedestal: Carved from bluestone in the shape of a stone tortoise, measuring 3.36 m in length, 2.23 m in width, and 0.9 m in height (the head is partially damaged).
• Stele Body: Made of two adjoining bluestone slabs. The upper slab measures 1.3 m in height, the lower slab 1.55 m, both 1.55 m wide. This “one stele in two stones” structure is rare and appears to be carefully designed.
• Stele Head: A semi-circular marble head, fully preserved, measuring 1.3 m high and 2.3 m wide.
• Overall Height: 5.35 m from base to top.

The arrangement and craftsmanship make it a valuable and unique Yuan-era stele.

Inscriptions

The inscription is in vertical regular script (楷书). The front upper line reads “Stele Commemorating Kublai Khan’s Pacification of Yunnan” (世祖平云南碑), and the bottom line credits “Written by Cheng Wenhai, Hanlin Academy Minister” (翰林院臣程文海撰).

The upper slab contains 30 lines with 21 characters per line, mainly recounting the military campaign in Yunnan. The lower slab has 28 lines with 26 characters per line, focusing on praising Kublai Khan’s virtues. The reverse side lists the names of those involved in erecting the monument, though much of it is now illegible. The stele head bears the large seal-script characters “Stele of Emperor Shizu’s Pacification of Yunnan” (世祖皇帝平云南碑).

Cultural and Historical Significance

The stele narrates Kublai Khan’s expedition to Yunnan, his long march, the conquest of the Dali Kingdom, and his administrative reforms—turning the region into a Yuan province under the central government. It emphasizes his military prowess as well as his policy of conciliation, highlighting his decision to spare the defeated ruler and incorporate the territory into the Yuan administration.

Written in elegant, majestic prose, it combines historical record and political commentary, making it an important primary source for studying early Yuan politics, military affairs, and Yunnan’s local history. The text also reflects the multi-ethnic context of Yuan governance in the southwest.

Preservation Status

• 1965: Designated a provincial-level protected cultural relic by the Yunnan Provincial Government.
• 1983: Reaffirmed as a provincial-level protected site.
• 2001: Elevated to a national-level protected cultural relic (fifth batch) by the State Council of China.

Location for Visitors

The monument is situated about 100 m southwest of the intersection of Guanyin Road (观音路) and Z005 Road in Dali City, within Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan.