sultanate · China, Tibet and Mongolia

Pingnan Guo

1856 CE – 1872 CE · capital Dali

The Muslim-led state of Du Wenxiu in western Yunnan, born of the Panthay rebellion against the Qing, which ruled from Dali for sixteen years.

Origins

Tension between Hui Muslims and Han Chinese over the mines of Yunnan led to massacres of Muslims, including at Kunming in 1856. In the uprising that followed, the Hui leader Du Wenxiu took Dali in 1856 and established a state, taking the title Sultan Suleiman as well as the Chinese title of generalissimo.

Rule and society

Pingnan Guo ('the state that pacifies the south') was multi-ethnic, including Bai, Yi and Han officials as well as Hui. Du Wenxiu revived Ming-style dress, promoted the jade, cotton and opium trade with Burma, and kept mosques and markets open. In 1872 he sent his adopted son Hassan to London to seek British recognition, without success.

Decline and legacy

Qing forces under Cen Yuying retook eastern Yunnan and besieged Dali in 1872. Du Wenxiu took poison and surrendered at the end of that year, hoping to save the people; he was beheaded, and the city's Muslim population was massacred.

Lineage

Qing Empire 1644 CE – 1912 CEPingnan Guo

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Pingnan Guo. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/pingnan-guo
MLA
“Pingnan Guo.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/pingnan-guo. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Pingnan Guo.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/pingnan-guo.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Pingnan Guo’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/pingnan-guo (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻