Zhao Bing was the seventh son of
Zhao Qi (Emperor Duzong). His mother was Lady Yu (俞氏), a concubine of Emperor Duzong who held the rank of
xiurong (修容). He was a younger half-brother of his predecessors,
Zhao Xian (Emperor Gong) (r. 1275–1276) and
Zhao Shi (Emperor Duanzong) (r. 1276–1278). He was
enfeoffed as the "Prince of Xin" (信王) in 1274. His title was later changed to "Prince of Guang" (廣王). On 4 February 1276, the Song capital, Lin'an (臨安; present-day
Hangzhou), was conquered by forces of the
Mongol-led
Yuan regime commanded by the general
Bayan.
Emperor Gong surrendered to the Mongols, but his two brothers, Zhao Shi and Zhao Bing, managed to escape to Southern China with the help of officials such as (楊亮節),
Lu Xiufu,
Zhang Shijie,
Chen Yizhong and
Wen Tianxiang. They arrived in
Jinhua, where Zhao Shi was appointed as Grand Marshal (天下兵馬都元帥) and Zhao Bing was appointed as Vice Grand Marshal (副元帥). Zhao Bing's title was also changed to "Prince of Wei" (衛王). On 14 June 1276, a seven-year-old Zhao Shi was enthroned in
Fuzhou as the new emperor; he is historically known as Emperor Duanzong. The Mongol general Bayan was bent on eliminating the threat posed by Song remnants, so he led his troops in pursuit and attacked southern China. After Emperor Duanzong died of illness in 1278, the Song forces' morale started to dwindle and soldiers began to desert the army. Lu Xiufu brought Zhao Bing to Meiwei (梅蔚), Gangzhou (碙州), which is in present-day
Mui Wo,
Lantau Island,
Hong Kong. There, Zhao Bing was enthroned as the new emperor under the
era name "Xiangxing" (祥興); Gangzhou was also renamed "Xianglong County" (祥龍縣). They moved to
Yamen (in present-day
Xinhui District,
Jiangmen,
Guangdong Province) to evade the Mongols. == Reign ==