12Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, period of Chinese history between the fall of the T'ang dynasty (AD 907) and the establishment of the Sung dynasty (AD 960). It is named for the five successive short-lived dynasties and the ten dominant kingdoms that existed during this period. Characterized by anarchy and national disunity, the period is one of the bleakest in Chinese history. Warfare and official corruption were endemic, and barter replaced the monetary system in many parts of the country. Northern China was particularly affected; its canal and dam system fell into disrepair, causing extensive flooding and famine. The period, however, was marked by one major accomplishment—the widespread development of printing. Many Confucian, Buddhist, and Taoist classics were printed, including the first complete set (130 vol.) of the Confucian writings.

Five Dynasties & Ten States

After Zhu Quanzhong usurped the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and founded the Later Liang Dynasty (907 - 923), there were sequentially four dynasties after that. All these five dynasties were called Five Dynasties in Chinese history. Meanwhile, there were also ten kingdoms originating from the former Jiedushi (regional military attachment) of Tang. Hereunder is the timeline of the Five Dynasties and Ten States:

Period	Dynasty	Capital City	Reign Period	Destroyed by
Five Dynasties	Later Liang	Luoyang, Kaifeng	907 - 923	Later Tang
	Later Tang	Luoyang	923 - 936	Later Jin
	Later Jin	Luoyang, Kaifeng	936 - 946	Liao
	Later Han	Kaifeng	947 - 951	Later Zhou
	Later Zhou	Kaifeng	951 - 960	Song
Ten States	Southern Wu	Yangzhou	902 - 937	Southern Tang
	Southern Tang	Nanjing	937 - 975	Song
	Wu Yue	Hangzhou	907 - 978	Song
	Southern Chu	Changsha	927 - 951	Southern Tang
	Northern Han	Taiyuan	951 - 979	Song
	Southern Han	Guangzhou	917 - 971	Song
	Former Shu	Chengdu	907 - 925	Later Tang
	Later Shu	Chengdu	934 - 965	Song
	Southern Ping	Jingzhou	924 - 963	Song
	Min	Fuzhou	909 - 945	Southern Tang