Journal of Dali University ›› 2025, Vol. 10 ›› Issue (11): 8-14.

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Composite Narrative and Huaxia Identity: Local Cultural Strategies in Yunnan During the Ming
Dynasty — A Study Centered on The Record of the Sanling Temple

  

  1. School of History, Yunnan Normal University, Kunming 650500, China
  • Online:2025-11-15 Published:2025-12-05

Abstract:

Taking Record of the Sanling Temple (created in the first year of the Jingtai reign of the Ming Dynasty, 1450) as its core
text, this study examines the composite narrative strategies adopted by local elites in 15th-century Yunnan to reconstruct the identity of Huaxia's ancestral origins, drawing on multi-source historical materials such as inscriptions, local gazetteers, and genealogies.Focusing on the "Sanling" system (comprising a Tibetan chieftain, a general of the Tang Dynasty, and a member of the Nanzhao royal clan), this study reveals its tripartite cultural construction mechanisms: the sacralization of war memory by transforming the Tianbao War into the worship of deities protecting the region; the legitimation of matrilineal narratives through the integration of the “Baijie Amei”(Sister Baijie) figure with mythical birth legends and Confucian moral symbols; and the legalization of cross-ethnic symbols via the integration of Buddhism, Taoism, and indigenous beliefs. Findings indicate that Ming-era Yunnan's identity construction strategically responded to imperial "Sinicization" policies while preserving indigenous traditions. This reveals the dynamic contestation between the central and local authorities in the process of sinicization, offering historical insights for the integration of national identity in multi-ethnic states.

Key words: Ming Dynasty, Yunnan, composite narrative, Huaxia identity, The Record of the Sanling Temple