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Chinese History - The Ten States 十國 (902-979)

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The Ten States
Later Shu 後蜀

period before (Tang)
-- Five Dynasties
next period (Song)
Map and Geography

When the Later Tang (Houtang 後唐) empire conquered Chengdu 成都, military commissioners (jiedushi 節度使) were installed to govern the remote area of modern Sichuan. In 926 commissioner Meng Zhixiang 孟知祥 occupied and reigned this territory, in 934 he was officially given the title King of Shu 蜀 and immediately founded a new dynasty, called Later Shu (Houshu 後蜀). In the same year, he died (posthumous Houshu Gaozu 後蜀高祖 - see titles of emperors) and was followed by his son Meng Chang 孟昶. Meng Chang was able to conquer territories north of Shu because the Jin 晉 empire in the north was shaken by the Khitan (Chinese: Qidan 契丹) intrusion, but these areas were lost back to the following Zhou 周 realm. The long-lasting reign of Meng Chang contributed to the peaceful development of economy and culture in Shu. Wu Zhaoyi 毋昭裔 and Zhao Chongzuo 趙崇祚 compiled the anthology Huajianji 花間集 and promoted the Confucian classics. The Shu empire was conquered by the Song 宋 armies in 965.

See also titles of rulers.

Later Shu (Houshu) 後蜀 (934-965)

Capital: Chengdu 成都/modern Sichuan

temple name
-----reign mottos (begin)

personal name

time

Houshu Gaozu 後蜀高祖
-----Mingde 明德 934		Meng Zhixiang 孟知祥934
(The Last Ruler (Houzhu) 後蜀後主)
-----Guangzheng 廣政 938		Meng Chang 孟昶 (or Renzan 仁贊)934-965

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lor="#993366">Jiangning 江寧府
Jiangnan-Xi 江南西路
Fujian 福建路
Guangnan-Dong 廣難東路: Zhaoqing 肇慶府
Guangnan-Xi 廣南西路During the Northern Song period some internal rebellions and upheavals occured, in the map shown by the big yellow dots. These are the rebellions of Wang Xiaobo 王小波 and Li Shun 李順 in 993-995 in modern Sichuan, the famous rebellion of the Liangshan Swamp 梁山泊 by Song Jiang 宋江 in 1119-1121 in the west of modern Shandong (see the novel "Water Margin" Shuihuzhuan 水滸傳), and the rebellion of Fang La 方臘 in 1120 in modern Zhejiang.
For the war campaigns between Northern Song and Liao see also the Liao map.
The neighboring states of the Northern Song Empire were Vietnam (Lý Dynasty 李朝), Dali 大理 (an empire inhabited by peoples related to the Thai) and Jinglong 景曨 in the south, Korea (Koryŏ 高麗) was governed by a house descendant of the old Silla Empire 新羅. The north was occupied by the empire of Liao 遼, the border was south of modern Beijing. The upper course of the Yellow River and the Gansu corridor was controlled by the Tangut empire of Western Xia 西夏. More to the west, in modern Xinjiang, were the communities of the Western Uighurs (Xizhou Huigu 西州回鶻), the Yellow Head Uighurs 黃頭回鶻 and the empire of the Qara-Khan (Karakhan, Chinese: Heihan 黑汗 or "Kalahan" 喀喇汗) that expanded into the Tarim Basin 塔里木盆地 and the Junggar Basin 準噶兒盆地. The island of Taiwan (hence called Liuqiu 流求) was not yet incorporated into the Chinese empire, Hainan was a part of the Guangnan-Xi Circuit.
Map Southern Song Dynasty 南宋圖Map Southern Song Dynasty 南宋圖Map Southern Song Dynasty 南宋圖
Map Southern Song Dynasty 南宋圖Map Southern Song Dynasty 南宋圖Map Southern Song Dynasty 南宋圖
Map Southern Song Dynasty 南宋圖Map Southern Song Dynasty 南宋圖Map Southern Song Dynasty 南宋圖
Map Southern Song Dynasty 南宋圖Map Southern Song Dynasty 南宋圖Map Southern Song Dynasty 南宋圖When the Song court fled to the south in 1127, escaping the troops of the Jürchen Jin Dynasty 金 in the north, they established a new capital in the lower Yangtse area: Lin'anfu 臨安府, the modern Hangzhou 杭州/Zhejiang. During the 150 years of the Southern Song period there occurred several military campaigns between Jin and Song China. For more details, see also the map of the Jin Dynasty.
Like before, the largest administration unit of the Song Empire was the circuit (lu 路), but much of the territory was lost to the Jin Empire, and many prefectures were risen to the status of superior prefectures. Industrial prefectures were almost given up.
Lizhou 利州路 (later Lizhou-Xi 利州西路 and Lizhou-Dong 利州東路): Xingyuan 興元府, Longqing 隆慶府, Tongqing 同慶府
Jingxi-Nan 京西南路
Jinghu-Bei 荊湖北路: Jiangling 江陵府, Dean 德安府, Changde 常德府
Jinghu-Nan 荊湖南路
Chengdufu 成都府路: Chengdu 成都府, Chongqing 崇慶府, Jiading 嘉定府
Tongchuanfu 潼川府路 (former Tongzhou 潼州路): Tongchuan 潼川府, Suining 遂寧府
Kuizhou 夔州路: Chongqing 重慶府, Xianchun 咸淳府, Shaoqing 紹慶府
Huai-Dong 淮東路 (former Huainan-Dong 淮南東路)