Despite his mother's attempt to induce an abortion (thinking herself of low social status),[1][2][3] Duzong was born in 1224 and would later be named heir to the Song Dynasty throne. The drugs his mother took as a method of attempted abortion affected him in many ways, impacting his intelligence, speech (allegedly he could not speak until 7 years of age), and his hands and feet were poorly developed and awkward to use.[1][2][4] He was Yurui's only son. Like his uncle Zhao Yun, he lived in Shaoxing.