The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms (907-979) was a period of great division in Chinese history. This title comes from the New History of the Five Dynasties, which is a collective name for the Five Dynasties (907-960) and the Ten Kingdoms (902-979).
The Five Dynasties refer to the five regimes located in the Central Plains that were successively replaced after the fall of the Tang Dynasty in 907, namely the Later Liang, Later Tang, Later Jin, Later Han, and Later Zhou. After 960, Zhou Zhao Kuangyin launched the Chenqiao Mutiny, and the Yellow Robe was added to the codification, and the Zhou Dynasty established the Northern Song Dynasty and the end of the five dynasties.
In the late Tang Dynasty and the early Song Dynasty, there were many secessionist regimes outside the Central Plains region, among which more than ten secessionist regimes such as Former Shu, Later Shu, Southern Wu, Southern Tang, Wu Yue, Min Chu, Southern Han, Nanping (Jingnan), and Northern Han were arrested.
After the establishment of the Northern Song Dynasty, the surviving regimes of Jingnan, Wuping, Houshu, Southern Han, Southern Tang, Wuyue, and Northern Han were successively unified, and the unification of the whole country was basically realized.
The historical roots of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms can be traced back to the end of the Tang Dynasty, when the peasant uprising and the Huangchao Rebellion broke through Chang'an at the end of the Tang Dynasty, dealing a heavy blow to the Tang Dynasty, and the rebel army of the Imperial Dynasty was suppressed after the power of the feudal towns further expanded, forming a situation of separation. These feudal towns had a great deal of political, economic, and military autonomy, and became de facto independent kingdoms.
The history of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period was characterized by frequent wars, frequent regime changes, and social turmoil, and the political situation during this period was very chaotic, with various regimes attacking each other, and wars constantly brought heavy disasters to the people. The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms were a continuation of the Tang Dynasty's separatist situation, and the various separatist regimes attacked each other, and the wars continued, bringing heavy disasters to the people. At the same time, the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms were also an important period in Chinese history, which laid the foundation for the unification of the Northern Song Dynasty.