Southern Han

Southern Han (Chinese: 南漢; pinyin: Nán Hàn; Jyutping: Naam⁴ Hon³; 917–971), officially Han (Chinese: 漢), originally Yue (Chinese: 越), was a dynastic state of China and one of the Ten Kingdoms that existed during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. It was located on China's southern coast, controlling modern Guangdong and Guangxi. The dynasty greatly expanded its capital Xingwang Fu (Chinese: 興王府; pinyin: Xìngwáng Fǔ; Jyutping: Hing¹wong⁴ Fu², present-day Guangzhou). It attempted but failed to annex the autonomous polity of Jinghai, which was controlled by the Vietnamese.

Han / Yue 漢 / 越
917–971
Southern Han (dark blue)
Capital	Xingwang Fu (Guangzhou)
Common languages	Middle Chinese Medieval Yue
Government	Monarchy
Emperor
• 917–941	Emperor Gaozu
• 941–943	Emperor Shangdi
• 943–958	Emperor Zhongzong
• 958–971	Emperor Houzhu
Historical era	Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period
• Established	917
• Renamed from "Yue" to "Han"	918
• Ended by the Song dynasty	971
Preceded by Succeeded by Tang dynasty Song dynasty Ngô dynasty
Today part of	China Vietnam

Southern Han
Traditional Chinese	南漢
Simplified Chinese	南汉
Literal meaning	South Han
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Nán Hàn Wade–Giles Nan Han Yue: Cantonese Jyutping Naam4 Hon3

Founding of the Southern Han

Liu Yin was named regional governor and military officer by the Tang court in 905. Though the Tang fell two years later, Liu did not declare himself the founder of a new kingdom as other southern leaders had done. He merely inherited the title of Prince of Nanping in 909.

It was not until Liu Yin's death in 917 that his brother, Liu Yan, declared the founding of a new kingdom, which he initially called "Yue" (越); he changed the name to Han (漢) in 918. This was because his surname Liu (劉) was the imperial surname of the Han dynasty and he claimed to be a descendant of that famous dynasty. The kingdom is often referred to as the Southern Han dynasty throughout China's history. It attempted but failed to annex the independent polity of Jinghai which was controlled by the Vietnamese.

Territorial extent

With its capital at present-day Guangzhou, the domains of the kingdom spread along the coastal regions of present-day Guangdong, Guangxi and the island of Hainan. It had borders with the kingdoms of Min, Chu and the Southern Tang as well as the non-Chinese kingdoms of Dali. The Southern Tang occupied all of the northern boundary of the Southern Han after Min and Chu were conquered by the Southern Tang in 945 and 951 respectively.

War with the Vietnamese

Đông Hồ woodblock depiction of Ngô Quyền leading his troops against Southern Han forces on the Bạch Đằng River, 938 AD

During the late 9th century as the Tang dynasty weakened, local Vietnamese lords began taking control of its domain in Jinghai (northern Vietnam). Southern Han campaigned twice against the Vietnamese in 931 and 938 in an attempt to add these Vietnamese territories to their realm, but failed both.

Fall of the Southern Han

The Five Dynasties ended in 960 when the Song dynasty was founded to replace the Later Zhou. From that point, the new Song rulers set themselves about to continue the reunification process set in motion by the Later Zhou. Through the 960s and 970s, the Song increased its influence in the south until finally it was able to force the Southern Han dynasty to submit to its rule in 971.

Rulers

Sovereigns in the Southern Han Kingdom 917–971

Temple Names	Posthumous Names	Personal Names	Period of Reigns	Era Names
Gao Zu (高祖 gāo zǔ)	Tian Huang Da Di (天皇大帝 tiān huáng dà dì)	Liu Yan (劉巖 liú yán) Liu Yan (劉龑 liú yǎn) after 926	917–941	Qianheng (乾亨 qián hēng) 917–925 Bailong (白龍 bái lóng) 925–928 Dayou (大有 dà yǒu) 928–941
Did not exist	Shang Di (殤帝 shāng dì)	Liu Bin (劉玢 liú bīn)	941–943	Guangtian (光天 guāng tiān) 941–943
Zhong Zong (中宗 zhōng zōng)	Wénwǔ Guāngmíng Xiào (文武光明孝皇帝) Too tedious thus not used when referring to this sovereign	Liu Sheng (劉晟 liú shèng)	943–958	Yingqian (應乾 yìng qián) 943 Qianhe (乾和 qiàn hé) 943–958
Hou Zhu (後主 hòu zhǔ)	Did not exist	Liu Chang (劉鋹 liú chǎng)	958–971	Dabao (大寶 dà bǎo) 958–971

Rulers family tree

Southern Han rulers family tree
Liu Zhiqian 劉知謙 (d. 894) Liu Yin 劉隱 b. 874–d. 911 Liu Yan 劉龑 889–942 Gaozu 高祖 r. 917–942 Liu Tai 劉台 Emperor Huizong of Min Liu Hua 劉華 b. 896–d. 930 Liu Hongchang 劉弘昌 d. 944 Prince of Yue 越王 Liu Bin 劉玢 920–943 Shāng 殤皇 r. 942–943 Liu Sheng 劉晟 920–958 Zhongzong r. 943–958 Liu Honggao 劉弘杲 d. 943 Prince of Xun 循王 Liu Chang 劉鋹 942–980 r. 958–971

References

Sources

• Mote, F.W. (1999). Imperial China (900–1800). Harvard University Press. pp. 11, 15. ISBN 0-674-01212-7.
• Schafer, Edward H. "The History of the Empire of Southern Han: According to Chapter 65 of the Wu-tai-shih of Ou-yang Hsiu", Zinbun-kagaku-kenkyusyo (ed.), Silver Jubilee Volume of the Zinbun-kagaku-kenkyusyo. Kyoto, Kyoto University, 1954.
• Tarling, Nicholas, ed. (1999). The Cambridge History of Southeast Asia (Volume One, Part One): From early times to c. 1500. Cambridge University Press. p. 139. ISBN 0-521-66369-5.
• Coedes, George (2015). The Making of South East Asia (RLE Modern East and South East Asia). Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9781317450955.
• Taylor, Keith Weller (1983), The Birth of the Vietnam, University of California Press, ISBN 9780520074170