Dai (Sixteen Kingdoms)

Dai
310–376
China in 369 CE. Dai is visible at the top of the map.
China in 369 CE. Dai is visible at the top of the map.
StatusVassal of Jin Dynasty, Later Zhao, Former Yan, Former Qin
CapitalShengle (310–324, 337–338, 340–376)
Mount Dongmugen (324–327)
Daning (327–337)
Fanji (338–340)
GovernmentMonarchy
Prince 
• 310–316
Tuoba Yilu
• 338–376
Tuoba Shiyijian
History 
• Established
310
• Status upgraded from dukedom to principality
315
• Disestablished
376
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Western Jin
Former Qin
Today part ofChina
Mongolia
Dai
Traditional Chinese代國
Simplified Chinese代国
Literal meaningState of Dai
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinDàiguó
Wade–GilesTai-kuo

Dai, also rendered as Tai and sometimes known in historiography as the Tuoba Dai (Chinese: 拓跋代), was a dynastic state of China ruled by the Tuoba clan of Xianbei descent, during the era of Sixteen Kingdoms (although it is not listed as one of the 16). It existed from AD 310 to 376,[1] with its capital at Shengle (near modern Horinger County of Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China).

The name "Dai" originated when Tuoba Yilu was appointed the Duke of Dai (代公) by the Western Jin dynasty in 310, as a reward for helping Liu Kun, the Governor of Bingzhou (并州), fight against the Xiongnu-led Han-Zhao dynasty. The fief was later promoted from a duchy to a principality in 315. Dai was conquered in 376 by the Former Qin dynasty, and its descendants later established the Northern Wei dynasty in 386.

  1. ^ Grousset, Rene (1970). The Empire of the Steppes. Rutgers University Press. pp. 57. ISBN 0-8135-1304-9.