Speaker: Sean Cronan, Assistant Professor of History, University of Virginia

Abstract: In 1382, armies of the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644/62) completed their conquest of Yunnan, the last stronghold of the Mongol-Yuan Empire (1260–1368/88) south of the Eurasian Steppe. Over the previous century, Chinggisid princes and Yuan administrators had governed Yunnan together with the former ruling strata of the Dali Kingdom (937–1253), a hybrid Sinitic state in Southeast Asia that had surrendered to the Mongols in 1253. Local collaboration had formed a key tenet of Mongol imperial strategy in Yunnan: re-cast as “native officials” (tuguan), the Dali ruling strata continued to govern local society as before, staffing imperial administration and styling themselves as loyal servants of the Yuan. This colloquium will examine a series of letters exchanged between the Ming general Fu Youde 傅友德 (1327–1394) and the final patriarch of the Dali imperial house, Duan Shi 段世 (fl. late 14th c.), as Ming soldiers prepared to besiege Dali city. Preserved only in the personal collection of the late Ming scholar Wang Shizhen 王世貞 (1526–1590), these letters provide a rare glimpse into how the Dali elite understood their place within the East Asian interstate order during the twilight of the Mongol-Yuan Empire.

About Cornell Classical Chinese Colloquium
The group meets monthly during the semester to explore a variety of classical Chinese texts and styles. Other premodern texts linked to classical Chinese in Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese have also been explored. Presentations include works from the earliest times to the 20th century. Workshop sessions are led by local, national, and international scholars. Participants with any level of classical Chinese experience are welcome to attend.
o At each session, a presenter guides the group in a reading of a classical Chinese text. Attendees discuss historical, literary, linguistic, and other aspects of the text, working together to resolve difficulties in comprehension and translation.
o No preparation is required; all texts will be distributed at the meeting.
o Refreshments will be served.