Abstract: In the state of anarchy, Nanzhao became a revisionist force which was dissatisfied with the regional international system in
East Asia with the Tang Dynasty at the core. Its long-term strategy of foreign expansion had exhausted all resources, plunged people in
misery and led the government to perishment. The successive Dali Kingdom, drawing lessons from Nanzhao, had been keeping a
peaceful relationship with the Song Dynasty for a long period of time. The overall situation had changed from the dominance of Nanzhao
to the balance of powers with the establishment of the Cochin regime in the Red River Valley, the consolidation of the majority of
Burma by Bagan Dynasty, and the transformation of Chenla into a powerful nation. The geopolitical change was one of the major reasons
for Dali Kingdom's transition from an aggressive foreign strategy to a peaceful diplomacy.