Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period (China)
(907 to 960)
What happened?
The Five Dynasties and ten-Kingdoms period (907-960) was an era of division and political turmoil between two extraordinarily successful dynasties (Tang and Song) in 10th-century of Imperial China. The period was preceded by the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and succeeded by the Song Dynasty (960-1279). The following five dynasties succeeded one another in Central China during this period: Later Liang (907-923), Later Tang (923-936), Later Jin (936-947), Later Han (947-951) and Later Zhou (951-960). The ten kingdoms were Yang Wu (902-937), Former Shu (907-925), Ma Chu (907-951), Min (909-945), Wuyue (907-978), Southern Han (917-971), Jingnan (924-960), Later Shu (934-963), Southern Tang (937-975) and Northern Han (951-979).
In 874, the Huang Chao Rebellion broke out against the imperial government. The rebels were survivors of floods and famines who mustered courage from the omens. They saw natural disasters as a heavenly sign that change had to be made. The period began with the establishment of the Liao Dynasty (907-1125), which was in the north of the former Tang Dynasty. The rebellion marked the end of the Tang Dynasty.
When the Tang regime was over, the government granted more power to Jiedushi (= regional and provincial governors responsible for military and civil affairs.)
In the north, Zhu Wen founded the Later Liang (907-923). He was previously a member of Huang Chao's rebel army and held the most power. He played a significant role in the violent end of the uprising. Zhu executed the emperor Zhaozong in 904 and had his son Li Chu succeed the emperor. In 907 he forced him to abdicate. Many people were forced to relocate from the imperial capitals of Luoyang and Chang'an (Xi'an, 2022). Zhu Wen and Li Keyong (jiedushi for the Hedong circuit) have been major rivals since the end of Huang Chao's rebellion. After Li Keyong's death, his son Li Cunxu succeeded him. He expanded the Jin Kingdom and took the throne in 923. He destroyed the Later Liang Dynasty by proclaiming himself emperor. He founded the Later Tang Dynasty.
Li Cunxu founded the Later Tang Dynasty (923-936) but was killed in a rebellion in 926. Li Siyuan, adopted son of Li Keyong (jiedushi for the Hedong circuit), succeeded in taking over the dynasty and remained emperor until his death in 933. Li Cunxu's second son, Li Conghou, succeeded him until he passed away. His adoptive brother Li Congke succeeded. In 936, Li Congke was overthrown by his brother-in-law Shi Jingtang and the Later Jin Dynasty was established.
Shi Jingtang was aided by Emperor Taizu of Liao in the revolt against the Later Tang Dynasty. In exchange for the assistance, Shi Jingtang promised annual tribute to the 16 prefectures (= northern Hebei and Beijing, 2022) to the Khitans. The rebellion succeeded and Shi Jintang became the new emperor. He founded the Later Jin Dynasty (936-947). In 942 he died, and Shi Chongui succeeded him until 947. In 943 the Khitans declared war and took the capital Kaifeng within three years. This marked the end of the Later Jin Dynasty. Even though the Khitans conquered large parts of China, they were unable to control those regions and retreated.
Filling the power vacuum, Jiedushi Liu Zhiyuan invaded the imperial capital in 947 and proclaimed the arrival of the Later Han. The Later Han Dynasty (947-951) lasted only 4 years and was the shortest imperial regime of the five. Liu Zhiyuan fell ill in 948 and died. His teenage son Liu Chengyou succeeded him as emperor. After a coup d'état in 951, General Guo Wei, a Han Chinese, was enthroned and the Later Zhou Dynasty began. The defeated Liu Chengyou established a rival Northern Han regime in Taiyuan and asked the Khitans for help in defeating Later Zhou.
Guo Wei was the emperor of the Later Zhou Dynasty (951-960) until he died of an illness in 954. His adopted son, Chai Rong, succeeded the throne. His army defeated the forces of Khitan and Northern Han, ending their ambitions to succeed the Later Zhou Dynasty. Chai Rong conquered much of Southern Tang (the most powerful regime in Southern China). He died in 959 while trying to reclaim territories ceded during the Later Jin regime. General Zhao succeeded in overthrowing Later Zhou in 960 and establishing the Northern Song Dynasty. This ended the period of Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms and the Song Dynasty started.
Chinese Shipwreck Artifact
± 900 to ± 1000
The shipwreck was accidentally found by local fishers in 2003 and subsequently reported to an Indonesian salvage company. The fishers collected fragments of Chinese ceramics in their fishing nets. The wreckage was found at a depth of about 54 meters and about 100 km from the port city of Cirebon. A private salvage company salvaged the wreckage between 2004 and 2006. About 250.000 items were recovered. 65% consisted of Chinese ceramics from the Five Dynasty period of 10th-century Imperial China. Other ceramics came from other parts of Asia. 10% was glassware and precious stones from the Middle East and India. The rest consisted of ingots of iron and other metals.
Our copy is intact and in good condition considering the circumstances. The piece is made of clay Chinese pottery in an uncomplicated design. It would have likely been used for teatime. There are remains of a light glaze on the top portion of the saucer. The recovered artifacts were auctioned in 2006. The profit was split 50-50 with the Indonesian government. Archaeologists urged the Indonesian government to preserve most of the wreckage's contents. This find was too important for the studies of economics and trade history. 10% of the 76.000 recovered artifacts form the collection of the Indonesian museum.
The ship was identified as a West Austronesian vessel of approximately 100 feet (30 m) in length. Several visible repairs to the hull imply that the ship was in service for some time before it sank. The cargo indicates that most of the pottery and ceramics were taken on board in ports of southern China, probably Guangzhou. The port belonged to the Southern Han Kingdom, during that era. Chinese coins found in the cargo make it possible to locate the sinking to about 970.
The study of this wreck can teach us a lot about the Maritime Silk Road and its most common routes. This route was the maritime section of the historic Silk Road connecting China, Southeast Asia, the Indian Subcontinent, the Arabian Peninsula, Somalia, Egypt, and Europe. The Maritime Silk Road was founded and operated by Austronesian sailors (Taiwan, Madagascar, and Oceania) in Southeast Asia, Greco-Roman traders in East Africa, Tamil traders in India and Southeast Asia, and Persian and Arab traders. Before the 10th century, the route was mainly used by Southeast Asian traders, although Tamil and Persian traders also sailed it.