Royals › Royal Kin
Gongshu Duan
Younger brother of Duke Zhuang of Zheng, favoured by their mother, whose bid to seize the capital failed in 722 BCE.
A mansion gate with a double blue-tiled roof stands on stone steps flanked by two stone lions, with a garden walkway, a lily pond and rockery at the left and lanterns under the eaves; at the right one person stands beside a saddled horse with a rider.
Also known as Grand Uncle of Jing · Taishu Duan · Ji Duan
- Roles
- Royal Kin
Gongshu Duan, personal name Ji Duan, was the younger son of Duke Wu of Zheng and full brother of Duke Zhuang. Their mother Wu Jiang, who disliked Zhuang for his difficult breech birth, doted on Duan and repeatedly asked that he be named heir. When Zhuang succeeded, she had Duan enfeoffed at Jing, where he became known as the Grand Uncle of Jing. He built up walls and troops and absorbed the western and northern borderlands, and in 722 BCE plotted to seize the capital with his mother's help from within. Defeated by Prince Lü, he fled to Yan and then to Gong, hence his name. He is the Duan of 'The Earl of Zheng Overcomes Duan at Yan'.
Life and times
Dates Dates unknown; active 743–722 BCE