Prince Bei, fully Yelü Bei (Chinese: 耶律倍), officially Emperor Yizong of Liao (Simplified: 辽义宗, Traditional: 遼義宗), was the eldest son of Abaoji, the founder of the Liao Dynasty. He was declared successor to the first emperor of the Liao Empire in 916, but never succeeded to the throne. Rather, upon the accession of his younger brother, he went to China, where he was killed in 937.
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Abaoji attempted to bring numerous reforms to the Khitan, most notably, Chinese institutions designed to bring stability to the realm and the succession process. With this in mind, he sought to institute the notion of primogeniture, succession based on blood-lines, to the Khitan nation. To this end, Abaoji named Prince Bei, his eldest son, to be his successor in 916.
Abaoji died a sudden and surprising death in 926 while campaigning against the state of Balhae. Despite Prince Bei’s status as designated successor, this flew in the face of Khitan culture and custom. Even more importantly, his younger brother, Deguang, exhibited more qualities characteristic of and admired by Khitan culture. Though their mother, Empress Yingtian, was expected to sacrifice herself upon the death of her husband, she remained to exert great influence on the succession process. She openly distrusted Prince Bei due to his addiction to Chinese learning, and consequently supported her second son, Deguang.
Though Prince Bei was by his own admission of inferior qualifications to his brother, he was no stranger to military life. He could ride and shoot with his peers. However, Deguang was not only popular with their mother, he was also popular with Khitan nobility.
While Deguang ascended to the throne, Prince Bei had the title of Prince of Dongdan, the new name for the conquered Balhae state. Despite this apparently level of trust, Prince Bei was monitored by Deguang, posthumously known as Emperor Taizong of the Liao Dynasty.
In 930, Prince Bei slipped into China, where he supported himself as a poet and painter. He was welcomed by Li Siyuan, also known as Emperor Mingzong of the Later Tang Dynasty and bestowed the imperial surname of Li. However, Prince Bei appeared to remain loyal to the Khitan state as he sent intelligence reports to his brother in 934. Then the Khitan invasion of 936 occurred, the Later Tang emperor had Prince Bei assassinated due to the feelings of betrayal due to the Khitan invasion.
Prince Bei left a son behind in the homeland to be raised by his younger brother, who is said to have loved him like a son. He accompanied his uncle on campaign in China in 947 where his uncle died. He was a model Khitan prince, and despite the opposition of Empress Yingtian, he succeeded his uncle and became known as Emperor Shizong
Mote, F.W. (1999). Imperial China: 900-1800. Harvard University Press. p. 49–54. ISBN 0-674-01212-7.
| Preceded by Ae of Balhae |
Dongdan Kingdom 926–930 |
Succeeded by Queen Xiao of Dongdan Kingdom (Regent) |