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Wu

Wu may refer to: Wu (Chinese word)
- Wu (region), a region in China, associated with:
- Wu (linguistics), a subdivision of spoken Chinese spoken in the Wu region
- State of Wu, a state in the Wu region during the Spring and Autumn Period
- Kingdom of Wu, a state in southeastern China during the Three Kingdoms Period
- Wu (Ten Kingdoms), one of the kingdoms during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period
- Wu-Yue, one of the kingdoms during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period
- wú (negative), Zhaozhou's response to the question: "Does a dog have the Buddha-nature?"
- Wu, Prince of Korea, a royalty of Korea
- Wu, a Chinese surname
- Ta-You Wu, Chinese-born physicist (1907-2000)
- Chien-Shiung Wu, Chinese-born physicist (1912-1997)
- Wu style Taijiquan, also Wu/Hao style Taijiquan
- A kind of Chinese shaman. :see also WU ko:오 ja:呉

Wu (Chinese word)

Chinese word

- none, non, no, without
- wu-wo Mu (negative)

Wu (region)

Wu (吳) is a region in the Jiang Nan area (the south of Yangtze River), surrounding Suzhou, in Jiangsu province of China. It is also the abbreviation of several kingdoms or states based in Wu. The largest city in the Wu region today is Shanghai. The first Wu state was established in late Zhou Dynasty. Once considered as a barbarian state, it emerged to be a power overload at the end of Spring and Autumn Period. The most influential Wu state was the Kingdom of Wu during the period of Three Kingdoms. The city of Suzhou (also called Wu) has traditionally been the capital of the Wu states. Go'on (吳音), which is one of the two sources of Japanese pronunciation for kanji (the other being kan'on), originated from this region. The Go- component in the name Go'on is cognate to the Chinese word Wu. Category:China

Wu (linguistics)

Wu (吳方言 pinyin wú fāng yán; 吳語 pinyin wú yǔ lumazi wu niu(nyu)) is one of the major divisions of the Chinese language; linguistically, it is better classified as a Sinitic language. It is spoken in most of Zhejiang province, the municipality of Shanghai, southern Jiangsu province, as well as smaller parts of Anhui, Jiangxi, and Fujian provinces. Major Wu dialects include those of Shanghai, Suzhou, Wenzhou, Hangzhou, Yongkang and Shaoxing. As of 1991, there are 87 million speakers of Wu Chinese, making it the second largest form of Chinese after Mandarin Chinese (which has 800 million speakers). Among speakers of other Chinese varieties, Wu is often subjectively judged to be soft, light, and flowing. There is even a special term used to describe the quality of Wu speech: 吳儂軟語/吴侬软语 wúnóngruǎnyǔ. The actual source of this impression is harder to place. It is likely a combination of many factors. Among speakers of Wu, for example, Shanghainese is considered softer and mellower than the variant spoken in Ningbo. Like all other varieties of Chinese, there is plenty of dispute as to whether Wu is a language or a dialect. Please see here for the issues surrounding this dispute.

History

The modern Wu language can be traced back to the ancient Yue peoples centred around southern Jiangsu and northern Zhejiang. The Japanese Go-on (呉音) pronunciation of Chinese characters (obtained from the Wu Kingdom during the Three Kingdoms period) is from the same region of China where Wu is spoken today. See language tree of the Chinese dialects starting from 1500 BC, and Wu's position relative to them.

Dialects

The Northern Wu dialects are not mutually intelligible with the Southern Wu dialects. Wu is divided into six dialect areas:
- Taihu, spoken over much of southern Jiangsu and northern Zhejiang, including Shanghai, Suzhou, Changzhou, Hangzhou, Ningbo, Shaoxing, etc.
- Taizhou, spoken in and around Taizhou, Zhejiang
- Oujiang, spoken in and around Wenzhou, Zhejiang
- Wuzhou, spoken in and around Jinhua, Zhejiang
- Chu Qu, spoken in and around Lishui and Quzhou, Zhejiang
- Xuanzhou, spoken in and around Xuancheng, Anhui

Sounds

Wu dialects are notable among Chinese languages in having kept voiced consonants, such as /b/, /d/, /g/, /z/, /v/, etc. Neither Mandarin nor Cantonese have voiced consonants. See Suzhou dialect and Shanghai dialect for examples of Wu phonology.

Northern Wu Romanization

Northern Wu Romanization Scheme, developed by W.Z. Yin of the University of Chicago (芝加哥大学). The below romanization unites Shanghainese and Suzhou-hua, and is highly representative of other Northern Wu dialects as well. The initials and finals inventory below is by far the most extensive of any major Chinese dialect and has high correspondence with early Middle Chinese (just before Tang Dynasty) phonology. image:initial.gif image:longfinal.gif Example sentences: 搿能家好孛相法子个游戏值得收藏。 Genenkaa haubesianfatsi ge yeushii zete seuzån. A game this fun is worthy of keeping. 阿拉现在主要个问题就是哪能去解决搿只拼音个事体。勒勒搿前头，阿拉呒没别个花头个。 Ala yeezei tsuiauge vendii zieu zi naanen chii ciaacue getså phinin ge zithii. Leile ge zieedeu, ala umme biege hoodeu ge. Our key concern now is how to solve the romanization problem. Before solving that, we have no other options.

Grammar

Wu dialects have a relatively higher amount of Subject-Object-Verb sentence structure than Mandarin or Cantonese. There is huge array of personal and demonstrative pronouns used within the Wu dialects. Sandhi is also extremely complex, and helps parse multisyllabic words and idiomatic phrases. In some cases, indirect objects are distinguished from direct objects by a voiced/voiceless distinction.

Vocabulary

References

External links

- [http://www.zanhei.com/ Shanghainese (a Wu Chinese dialect): Introduction and Development] - With dictionary, phonology, romanization, audio, comprehensive lessons, readings, and forum. In the works.
- [http://www.glossika.com/en/dict/classification/wu/index.php Classification of Wu Dialects]
- [http://sinolect.org/wu-dialect/ Of Wu Chinese(江南雅音话吴语)] - Introduction, statistical data, vocal records, dialectmaps and literature datum of Wu. Category:Chinese language Category:Languages of Singapore ja:呉方言

State of Wu

Wu was a state during the Spring and Autumn Period in China. The state of Wu straddled the mouth of the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang) east of the State of Chu. Considered a semi-barbarian state by ancient Chinese historians, its capital was Suzhou. The State of Jin aided Wu's rise to power as a useful ally against the State of Chu. In 584 BC, Wu invaded the State of Yan and rebelled against the State of Chu; the later action occurred after being persuaded by Wuchen, a minister of the State of Jin who defected from Chu. Afterwards, Wu would be a constant threat to the state of Chu on its southeastern flank until its demise. Wu curried relationships with Chu's vassals in the Chang Jiang river region to weaken support for Chu. In 506 BC, Wu launched a surprise attack and occupied the capital of Chu. Afterwards, Wu was briefly the most powerful nation, and turned to other campaigns, defeating the State of Qi in 484 BC. Ironically, Wu was later threatened by an upstart state to its south, the State of Yue; the State of Chu aided Yue's rise to power as a counter to Wu. Although Wu won a major victory against Yue in 494 BC, it failed to completely subjugate Yue, helped in part by Yue's bribing of an important Wu minister. While Wu was engaged in a military campaign in the north, Yue launched a surprise attack on Wu in 482 BC and conquered the capital. Eventually, the State of Yue conquered Wu in 473 BC.

Connection with Japan?

The first Wu Kingdom was united by Taibo during the Spring and Autumn Period. Originally considered a part of the Eastern Barbarians, the people of the Wu Kingdom became Sinicized during the Warring States Period. Ambassadoral visits to Japan by the later Northern Chinese dynasties Wei and Jin (Encounters of the Eastern Barbarians, Wei Chronicles) recorded that the Japanese people claimed to be descendents of Taibo of Wu, refugees after the fall of Wu. (History books do have records of Wu Taibo sending 4000 males and 4000 females to Japan.) Historical records also show that the ancient Japanese had similar lifestyles and customs as pre-Sinicized inhabitants of the Wu Kingdom, including tattooing, ritual teeth pulling and baby-carrying on backs. :魏略：「倭人自謂太伯之後。」 :晉書：「自謂太伯之後，又言上古使詣中國，皆自稱大夫。」　列傳第六十七四夷 :資治通鑑：「今日本又云呉太伯之後，蓋呉亡，其支庶入海為倭。」 This purported tie with Japan's origins turns ironic as during the start of World War II, the Wu region of China was the most devastated and took on the brunt of the fighting against the Japanese as other Chinese regions in the north quickly surrendered or yielded (see the Battle of Shanghai and the Rape of Nanking).

Spring and Autumn Period

The Spring and Autumn Period () represented an era in Chinese history between 722 BC and 481 BC. The period takes its name from the Spring and Autumn Annals, a chronicle of the period whose authorship was traditionally attributed to Confucius. During the Spring and Autumn Period, power became decentralized. This period was filled with battles and annexation of some 170 smaller states. The slow crumbling of nobility resulted in widespread literacy; increasing literacy encouraged freedom of thought and technological advancement. This era is followed by the Warring States Period. One thing must be understood, China was not considered an empire at this time. It wasn't until the first emperor of China, Emperor Qin of the Qin Empire (秦), that China ended its feudal period. During the Zhou Dynasty, the center of power was, or was supposed to have been, in the hands of the king of the Zhou Dynasty. Note that king and emperor are not the same at all. As the king of Zhou, he enjoyed tributes from his nobilities who ruled regions inherited from their ancestors. These ancestors who were appointed nobilities or dukes of states were often officers who had achieved great deeds for the king of the ruling dynasty, in this case the Zhou Dynasty. The king of Zhou did not exactly have direct control over his tributary states. Instead, the collective loyalty of the dukes and nobilities made up the power of the king of Zhou. As loyalty deteriorated, so did the power of the king. It is important to understand that the first emperor of China saw that the feudal system would eventually lead to a weak king and a chaotic situation. As a result, the empire that he built ruled China with a strong centralized institution that did not rely on the loyalty of local dukes.

The Autumn Period

After the capital was sacked by western barbarian tribes, crown prince Ji Yijiu (姬宜臼) fled to the east. During the flight from the western capital to the east, the Zhou king relied on the nearby lords of Qin (秦), Zheng (鄭) and Jin (晉) for protection from barbarians and rebellious lords. He moved the Zhou capital from Zongzhou (Hao) to Chengzhou (today Luoyang) in the Yellow River valley. The fleeing Zhou elite did not have strong footholds in the eastern territories; even the crown prince's coronation had to be supported by those states to be successful. With the Zhou domain greatly reduced, limited to Luoyang and nearby areas, the Zhou court could no longer support six groups of standing troops (liu4 jun1 六軍). Subsequent Zhou kings had to request help from neighbouring or powerful states for protection from raids and for resolution of internal power struggles. The Zhou court would never regain its original authority; the Zhou court was relegated to being merely a figurehead of the feudal states. Though Zhou nominally retained the Mandate of Heaven, the title held no power.

Rise of the hegemons

The first nobility to help the Zhou kings was the Duke Zhuang of Zheng (鄭莊公) (r. 743 BC-701 BC). He was the first to establish the hegemonical system (ba4 霸), which was intended to retain the old proto-feudal system. Traditional historians justified the new system as a means of protecting weaker civilized states and the Zhou royalty from the intruding "barbarian" tribes. Located in the south, north, east and west, the barbarian tribes were, respectively, the Man, Yi, Rong and Di. All so-called "civilized" states, however, were actually composed of a substantial mix of ethnicities; hence, there was no fine line between a "civilized" state and a "barbarian" one. Nevertheless, these ethnically and culturally different tribes had their own unique civilizations in some areas. Some ethnic groups were so substantially civilized and powerful by traditional Chinese standards that their political entities, including Wu and Yue, are even included in some versions of the five overlords (see below). Yue The newly powerful states were more eager to maintain aristocratic privileges over the traditional ideology of supporting the weak ruling entity during times of unrest (匡扶社稷 kuang1 fu2 she4 ji4), which had been widely propagated during imperial China to consolidate power into the ruling family. Dukes Huan of Qi (r. 685 BC-643 BC) and Wen of Jin (r. 636 BC-628 BC) made further steps in installing the overlordship system, which brought relative stability, but in shorter time periods than before. Annexations increased, favoring the several most powerful states, including Qin, Jin, Qi and Chu. The overlord role gradually drifted from its stated intention of protecting weaker states; the overlordship eventually became a system of hegemony of major states over weaker satellites of Chinese and "barbarian" origin. The great states used the pretext of aid and protection to intervene and gain advantages over the smaller states during their internal quarrels. Later overlords were mostly derived from these great states. They proclaimed themselves master of their territories, without even recognizing the petty figurehead of Zhou. Establishment of the local administration system (Jun and Xian), with its officials appointed by the government, gave states better control over the dominion. Taxation facilitated commerce and agriculture more than proto-feudalism. The three states of Qin, Jin and Qi not only optimized their own strength, but also repelled the southern state of Chu, whose rulers had proclaimed themselves kings. The Chu armies gradually intruded into the Yellow River Basin. Framing Chu as the "southern barbarian", Chu Man, was merely a pretext to warn Chu not to intervene into their respective spheres of influence. Chu intrusion was checked several times in three major battles with increasing violence - the Battle of Chengpu, the Battle of Bi and the Battle of Yanling; this resulted in the restorations of the states of Chen and Cai.

Interstate relations

See main article: Interstate relations during the Spring and Autumn period. During the period a complex system of interstate relations developed. It was partially structured upon the Western Zhou system of feudalism, but elements of realpolitik were emerging. A collection of interstate customary norms and values, which can perhaps be loosely termed international law, was also evident. As the operational and cultural areas of states expanded and intersected, diplomatic encounters increased.

Changing tempo of war

After a period of increasingly exhaustive warfare, Qi, Qin, Jin and Chu finally met for a disarmament conference in 579 BC, where the other states essentially became satellites. In 546 BC, Jin and Chu agreed to yet another truce. During the relatively peaceful 6th century BC, the two coastal states in today's Zhejiang, Wu and Yue, gradually grew in power. After defeating and banishing King Fu Chai of Wu, King Gou Jian of Yue (r. 496 BC-465 BC) became the last recognized overlord. This era of peace was only a prelude to the maelstrom of the Warring States Period. The four powerful states were all in the midst of power struggles. Six elite landholding families waged war on each other in Jin. The Chen family was eliminating political enemies in Qi. Legitimacy of the rulers was often challenged in civil wars by various royal family members in Qin and Chu. Once all these power strugglers firmly established themselves in their dominions, the bloodshed among states would continue in the Warring State Period. The Warring States Period officially started in 403 BC when the three remaining elite families in Jin - Zhao, Wei and Han - partitioned the state; the impotent Zhou court was forced to recognize their authority.

List of overlords, or Ba

Traditionally, the Five Overlords of Spring and Autumn Period (春秋五霸 Chun1 qiu1 Wu3 Ba4) include:
- Duke Huan of Qi (齊桓公)
- Duke Wen of Jin (晉文公)
- King Zhuang of Chu (楚莊王)
- Duke Mu of Qin (秦穆公)
- Duke Xiang of Song (宋襄公) While some other historians suggest that the Five Overlords include:
- Duke Huan of Qi (齊桓公)
- Duke Wen of Jin (晉文公)
- King Zhuang of Chu (楚莊王)
- King Fu Chai of Wu (吳王夫差)
- King Gou Jian of Yue (越王勾踐) Order is not important.

List of prominent states

The name following the name of the state is the capital(En., TC. and SC.). :Qi (state) 齊 - Linzi 臨淄临淄 :Chu (state) 楚 - Ying 郢郢 :Qin (state) 秦 - Xianyang 咸陽咸阳 :Jin (state) 晉 :Lu (state) 魯 - Qufu 曲阜曲阜 :Chen (state) 陳 - Chenqiu 陳丘陈丘 :Cai (state) 蔡 - Shangcai 上蔡上蔡 :Cao (state) :Song (state) 宋 - Shangqiu 商丘商丘 :Wei (state)魏 :Wu (state) 吳 - Suzhou 姑蘇姑苏 :Yue (state) 越 - Kuaiji 會稽会稽 :Huaguo 滑 :Zheng (state) 鄭 - Xinzheng 新鄭

List of important figures

Bureaucrats or Officers :Guan Zhong (管仲), statesman and advisor of Duke Huan of Qi and regarded by some modern scholars as the first Legalist. :Bai Li Xi (百里奚), famous prime minister of Qin. :Bo Pi, the corrupted bureaucrat under King He Lu and played important diplomatic role of Wu-Yue relations. :Wen Zhong and Fan Li, the two advisors and partisans of King Gou Jian of his rally against Wu. :Zi Chan, leader of self-strengthening movements in Zheng Influential scholars :Confucius :Laozi or Lao tse, founder of Daoism :Mozi, known as Motse (墨子 Mo4 Zi5) or "Mocius" (also "Micius") to Western scholars, founder of Mohism Historians :Confucius Engineers :Mozi :Lu Ban Wielders :O Ye Zi, literally means O the wielder and mentor of the couple Gan Jiang and Mo Xie Entrepreneurs and Commercial personnel :Fan Li Generals, military leaders and authors :Rang Ju, elder contemporary and possibly mentor of :Sun Tzu, the author of The Art of War Assassins :Yao Li, sent by He Lu to kill Qing Ji. :Zhuan Zhu, sent by He Lu to kill his cousin King Liao :Mo Xie See also: Hundred Schools of Thought

List of important events

770 B.C.E - the nobilities of the Zhou Dynasty supported King Píng of Zhou (周平王)as the new king of the Zhou Dynasty. King Píng moved the capital to luò yì (雒邑). The era of Eastern Zhou, or Spring Autumn, began. King Píng appointed the son of the nobility Yíng Qí (贏其) to the northwestern part of the Zhou Dynasty. He was named Duke Xiāng of Qin (秦襄公). The kingdom of Qin (秦) was born. 763 B.C.E - Duke Zhuang of Zheng (鄭莊公) attacked and destroyed the barbarian kingdom of hú (胡國). Duke Zhuang relied on his famous officer Zhài Zhòng (祭仲). 750 B.C.E - Duke Wén of Jin (晉文侯), Jī Chóu (姬仇), attached and destroyed the kingdom of Yú Chén Zhou (余臣周) 704 B.C.E - Duke of Chǔ (楚), Mǐ Xióng Tōng (羋熊通), saw the weakened power of the King of Zhou as an opportunty to break free from being a tributary state of the Zhou Dynasty and claimed the title of king himself. He announced the kingdom of Chǔ (楚國) and called himself King Wu of Chu (楚武王). 701 B.C.E - Duke Zhuang of Zheng (鄭莊公) died. His son Jī Hū (姬忽) succeeded the title of Duke and was known as Duke Zhāo of Zheng (鄭昭公). Because Lady Yōng (雍氏) of Song (宋國)was married to Duke Zhuang of Zheng and had a son named Ji Tū (姬突), the King of Song thought that he could extend influence in Zheng by helping to support a new ruler who had relations with Song. Zhài Zhòng (祭仲), who had the respect and influence in the state of Zheng, was lured and captured by Song and was forced to support Jī Tū as the successor to the throne of Zheng. Duke Zhāo of Zheng was forced down from his rank as Duke and fled. Jī Tū became the new ruler and was known as Duke Lì of Zheng (鄭厲公). 694 B.C.E - Duke Xiāng of Qi (齊襄公), Jiāng Zhu Er (姜諸兒), gathered many dukes at Shǒu Zhi (首止) and murdered Duke Huan of Lu (魯桓公). 686 B.C.E - Duke Xiāng of Qi (齊襄公) was assassinated. Jiāng Wú Zhī (姜無知) became the new Duke of Qi. 685 B.C.E - Duke of Qí Jiāng Wú Zhī (姜無知)was assassinated. Jiāng Xiǎo Bái (姜小白) became the new duke known as the famous Duke Huan of Qi (齊桓公). 684 B.C.E Duke Huan of Qi (齊桓公) appointed Guan Zhong (管仲) as Xiang (相), or prime minister. 681 B.C.E Duke Huan of Qi (齊桓公) and Duke Zhuang of Lu (魯莊公), Ji Tong (姬同), met and negotiated at Kē (柯). 679 B.C.E Duke Huan of Qi (齊桓公) invited and gathered all of the dukes from central China to his alliance and began his legend as the leader of the dukes. In the same year, the local ruler of the region of Qu Wo (曲沃) of the Jin State (晉), Ji Dai (姬代), murdered the Duke of Jin, Ji Fun (姬湣). Ji Dai bribes the King Li of Zhou (周釐王), Ji Wu (姬胡), and was officially appointed by the royal court as the new ruler of the Jin State. He was known as Duke Wu of Jin (晉武公). 668 B.C.E Duke Xain of Jin (晉獻公), who succeeded Duke Wu of Jin (晉武公), moved the Jin capital to Jiang (絳). 667 B.C.E King Hui of Zhou (周惠王), Ji Liang (姬閬), granted the titled of Ba (霸), or Overlord, to Duke Huan of Qi (齊桓公). He continued to lead the alliance of dukes to serve and protect the Zhou Kingdom. 660 B.C.E Duke Cheng of Qin (秦成公) died. Ying Ren Hao (嬴任好) become the new Duke or Qin and was known as Duke Mu of Qin (秦穆公). 656 B.C.E Because the state of Cai (蔡) chose to pay tribute to the kingdom of Chu (楚國) instead of allying itself with Qi (齊), (Duke Huan of Qi (齊桓公) led his army of alliance of dukes into the state of Cai . Cai lost completely and the alliance was going to attack kingdom of Chu. Under the brilliant strategy of the Qi prime minister Guan Zhong (管仲), Chu had no choice but to swear alligence with Qi. Duke Huan of Qi return in victory and hosted another coalition meeting at Kui Qiu (葵丘). 651 B.C.E Duke Xain of Jin (晉獻公) died. One of his sons named Ji Xi Qi (姬奚齊), who was born to one of his wives Lu Ji (驢姬), succeed the title of duke. An officer of Qi, Li Ke (里克), murdered him soon after the new duke came into power. Lu Ji commited suicide. Ji Zhuo Zi (姬卓子) became the new duke of Jin but was also murdered soon. Duke Huan of Qi (齊桓公) led his army of alliance of dukes into the state of Jin and wanted to ended the killing spree. He was too late, however, because Duke Mu of Qin (秦穆公) had already done so by supporting a new duke in Jin with this army led by his high ranked officer Bai Li Xi (百里奚). The name Duke of Jin was named Ji Yi Wu (姬夷吾), and this title was Duke Hui of Jin (晉惠公). In the same year, Duke Huan of Song (宋桓公) died. His son Zifu (子茲甫) inherete the title of duke and was known as Duke Xiang of Song (宋襄公). 643 B.C.E (Duke Huan of Qi (齊桓公) died. In his later years, after the death of his prime minister Guan Zhong (管仲), the Duke of Qi made some bad choices and used incompetent people in his court in high places. As a result, these people seized power of the state during the last days of the duke by murdering loyal and competent officers in the court. The duke’s will was to let his younger son be his successor. However, the same people who seized power changed his will and supported the duke’s oldest son, Jiang Wu Kui (姜無虧), to be the new duke. 642 B.C.E Jiang Wu Kui (姜無虧), the successor of Duke Huan of Qi (齊桓公), was murdered. Jiang Zhao (姜昭) became the next duke and was known as Duke Xiao of Qi (齊孝公). 641 B.C.E After the death of Duke Huan of Qi (齊桓公), no one was really the leader of the dukes and the title of Ba, or Overlord, was up for grabs. Duke Xiang of Song (宋襄公) announce a new alliance of dukes in an atempt to become Ba. However, the state of Song was not as strong or big as Qi nor was Duke Xiang of Song as competent as the Duke Huan of Qi. In addition, Duke Huan of Qi had the help of Guan Zhong (管仲) who helped his lord manage his state into the most powerful and successful state in the whole period of Spring and Autumn. To begin his reign, Duke Xiang of Song captured the lord of Teng and murdered the lord of Whei or no good reason. Note that this was a huge mistake instead of a sign of power because the Overlord must be benevolent, powerful, advocant of the King of Zhou, and respectable. Every action of an Overlord must be rightous and heoric like those of Duke Huan of Qi. under construction

External links

Category:Zhou Dynasty ja:春秋時代

Kingdom of Wu

Eastern Wu (Chinese: 東吳, pinyin: dōng wú), also known as Sun Wu (Traditional Chinese: 孫吳, pinyin: sūn wú) and (misleadingly) in English as the Kingdom of Wu, refers to a historical state in a region of China. During its existence, its capital was largely at Jianye (建業, modern Nanjing), but at times was at Gong'an (公安, in modern Jingzhou, Hubei) or Wuchang (武昌, in modern Ezhou, Hubei -- not Wuhan, as the name might suggest). Wuhan From 222 to 280, Eastern Wu was one of the Three Kingdoms competing for control of China after the fall of the Han Dynasty. During the decline of the Han dynasty, the region of Wu - a region in the south of the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang), surrounding Nanjing - was under the control of the warlord Sun Quan. Sun Quan succeeded his brother Sun Ce as the lord over the Wu region paying nominal allegiance to Emperor Xian of Han (who was, at that point, under the control of Cao Cao). Unlike his competitors, he did not really have the ambition to be Emperor of China. However, after Cao Pi of the Kingdom of Wei and Liu Bei of the Kingdom of Shu each declared themselves to be the Emperor, Sun Quan decided to follow suit in 222, claiming to have founded the Wu Dynasty. Under the rule of Eastern Wu, southern China, regarded in early history as a barbaric "jungle" developed into one of the commercial, cultural, and political centers of China. Within five centuries, during the Five Dynasties and Ten States, the development of Southern China had surpassed that of the north. The achievements of Wu marked the beginning of the cultural and political division between Northern and Southern China that would repeatedly appear in Chinese history well into modernity. The term Southern China as used here does not include Guangdong and other provinces in the far south, which were not incorporated into China proper until the Tang Dynasty and remained for the most part economically and culturally backward until the late 19th century. The island of Taiwan may have been first reached by the Chinese during the Three Kingdoms period. Contacts with the native population and the dispatch of officials to an island named "Yizhou" (夷州) by the Eastern Wu navy might have been to Taiwan, but what Yizhou was is open to dispute; some historians believe it was Taiwan, while others believe it was the Ryukyu Islands. Eastern Wu was finally conquered by the first Jin emperor, Sima Yan, in 280. It was the longest-lived of the three kingdoms. Important figures:
- Sun Jian (孫堅)
- Sun Ce (孫策),
- Sun Quan (孫權)
- Huang Gai (黃蓋)
- Gan Ning (甘寧)
- Taishi Ci (太史慈)
- Zhou Yu (周瑜)
- Zhou Tai (周泰)
- Ling Tong (凌統)
- Lu Su (魯肅)
- Lü Meng (呂蒙)
- Lu Yi (Xun) (陸遜)
- Zhang Zhao (張昭)
- Zhang Hong (張紘)
- Zhuge Jin (諸葛謹)
- Dong Xi (董袭)
- Xu Sheng (徐盛)
- Chen Wu (陈武)

List of sovereigns

Eastern Wu 222-280
Posthumous Names ( Shi Hao 諡號)	Personal names	Year(s) of Reigns	Era Names (Nian Hao 年號) and their range of years
Convention: use personal name
Da Di (大帝 dà dì)	Sun Quan (孫權 sūn quán)	222-252	Huangwu (黃武 huáng wǔ) 222-229 Huanglong (黃龍 huáng lóng) 229-231 Jiahe (嘉禾 jiā hé) 232-238 Chiwu (赤烏 chì wū) 238-251 Taiyuan (太元 taì yuán) 251-252 Shenfeng (神鳳 shén2 fèng) 252
Kuaiji Wang (會稽王 kuaì jī wáng)	Sun Liang (孫亮 sūn liàng)	252-258	Jianxing (建興 jiàn xīng) 252-253 Wufeng (五鳳 wǔ fèng) 254-256 Taiping (太平 taì píng) 256-258
Jing Di (景帝 jǐng dì)	Sun Xiu (孫休 sūn xiū)	258-264	Yong'an (永安 yǒng ān) 258-264
Wucheng Hou (烏程侯 wū chéng hóu) or Guiming Hou (歸命侯; gūi mìng hóu)	Sun Hao (孫皓 sūn haò)	264-280	Yuanxing (元興 yuán xīng) 264-265 Ganlu (甘露 gān lù) 265-266 Baoding (寶鼎 baǒ dǐng) 266-269 Jianheng (建衡 jiàn héng) 269-271 Fenghuang (鳳凰 fèng huáng) 272-274 Tiance (天冊 tiān cè) 275-276 Tianxi (天璽 tiān xǐ) 276 Tianji (天紀 tiān jì) 277-280

Category:History of China ko:오나라 (삼국) ja:呉 (三国)

Wu (Ten Kingdoms)

Wu 吳 (also refered to as Huainan 淮南) was one of the Ten Kingdoms in south-central China which was in existence between the years of 904 and 937. Its capital was Guangling 廣陵 or Jiangdu 江都 (modern Yangzhou 揚州 in Jiangsu Province). It was replaced by Nantang (Southern Tang) in 937.

Rulers

- 904–905: Yáng Xíngmì 楊行密 (Tài Zǔ Xiàowǔ Huángdì 太祖孝武皇帝)
- 905–908: Yáng Wò 楊渥 (Liè Zōng Jǐng Huángdì 烈宗景皇帝)
- 908–921: Yáng Lóngyǎn 楊隆演 (Gāo Zǔ Xuān Huángdì 高祖宣皇帝)
- 921–937: Yáng Pǔ 楊溥 (Ruì Huángdì 睿皇帝)

External links

- http://www.chinaknowledge.de/History/Tang/rulers-wu.html Category:Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period

Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms (Traditional Chinese: 五代十國 Simplified Chinese: 五代十国 Hanyu pinyin: Wǔdàishíguó) (907-960) was a period of political upheaval in China, between the Tang Dynasty and Song Dynasty. During this period, 5 dynasties succeeded each other in rapid succession in the north, and more than a dozen independent states, mainly in the south, were established, though only ten of them are traditionally listed, hence giving rise to the name "Ten Kingdoms." (Some historians, including Bo Yang, count 11 -- not including Northern Han (as it is an extension of the Later Han Dynasty) and including Yan and Qi in the list.) The Five Dynasties:
- Later Liang Dynasty (June 5, 907-923)
- Later Tang Dynasty (923-936)
- Later Jin Dynasty (936-947)
- Later Han Dynasty (947-951)
- Later Zhou Dynasty (951-960) The Ten Kingdoms:
- Wu
- Wuyue
- Min
- Chu
- Southern Han
- Former Shu
- Later Shu
- Jingnan
- Southern Tang
- Northern Han Other regimes:
- Yan
- Qi
- Chengde Jiedushi (also known as Zhao)
- Yiwu Jiedushi
- Dingnan Jiedushi
- Wuping Jiedushi
- Qingyuan Jiedushi
- Yin
- Ganzhou
- Shazhou
- Liangzhou

Setting the stage

The period was a direct result of the political disintegration at the end of the Tang Dynasty, which saw power shifting away from the imperial government and into the hands of regional military governors (jiedushi). The Huang Chao Rebellion (875-884) also dealt a severe blow to the authority of the central government. By the early 10th century, the central government held little power over powerful jiedushi, who were de facto independent. Important jiedushi at this point included: North China
- Zhu Wen at Bianzhou (modern Kaifeng, Henan province), precursor to Later Liang Dynasty
- Li Keyong and Li Cunxu at Taiyuan (modern Taiyuan, Shanxi province), precursor to Later Tang Dynasty
- Liu Rengong and Liu Shouguang at Youzhou (modern Beijing), precursor to Yan
- Li Maozhen at Fengxiang (modern Fengxiang County, Shaanxi province), precursor to Qi
- Luo Shaowei at Weibo (modern Daming County, Hebei province)
- Wang Rong at Zhenzhou (modern Zhengding County, Hebei province)
- Wang Chuzhi at Dingzhou (modern Ding County, Hebei province) South China
- Yang Xingmi at Yangzhou (modern Yangzhou, Jiangsu province), precursor to Wu
- Qian Liu at Hangzhou (modern Hangzhou, Zhejiang province), precursor to Wuyue
- Ma Yin at Tanzhou (modern Changsha, Hunan province), precursor to Chu
- Wang Shenzhi at Fuzhou (modern Fuzhou, Fujian province), precursor to Min
- Liu Yin at Guangzhou (modern Guangzhou, Guangdong province), precursor to Southern Han
- Wang Jian at Chengdu (modern Chengdu, Sichuan province), precursor to Former Shu

The North

Zhu Wen was the most powerful warlord at the time in North China. Originally a member of Huang Chao's rebel army, he surrendered to the Tang Dynasty and was crucial in suppressing the rebellion. For this he was given the title of Xuanwu Jiedushi. Within a few years he had consolidated his power by destroying his neighbours, and was able to force a move of the imperial capital to Luoyang (modern Luoyang, Henan province), within his power base. In 904 he had the Emperor Zhaozong killed and put his 13-year-old son on the throne as a puppet ruler. Three years later, in 907, he induced the boy emperor to abdicate in his favour. He then proclaimed the founding of the Later Liang Dynasty, with himself as emperor. By now, many of his rival warlords had also declared their own independent regimes, and not all of them recognized the new dynasty as overlord. In particular, Li Cunxu and Liu Shouguang opposed the new regime, and fought it for control of North China. Li Cunxu was particularly successful. After defeating in 915 Liu Shouguang (who had proclaimed a Yan Empire in 911), Li Cunxu declared himself emperor in 923 and, within a few months, swept away the Later Liang regime, replacing it with the Later Tang Dynasty. Under him, much of North China was reunified again, and in 925 he was able to conquer Former Shu, a regime that had been set up in Sichuan. The Later Tang Dynasty oversaw a few years of relative calm. Soon, however, unrest began to brew once again. In 934 Sichuan once again became independent as the Later Shu regime. In 936, Shi Jingtang, a jiedushi based in Taiyuan, rebelled with the help of the Khitan Empire of Manchuria. In return for their help, Shi Jingtang promised the Khitans 16 prefectures in the Youyun area (modern northern Hebei province and Beijing) and annual tribute. The rebellion succeeded, and Shi Jingtang became emperor of the Later Jin Dynasty in that same year. After the founding of Later Jin, the Khitans increasingly began to view Later Jin as their proxy in China proper. In 943 they decided to take the land for themselves, and within three years had swept into the capital at Kaifeng, ending the Later Jin dynasty. However, they were unable (or unwilling) to hold onto the vast areas of China proper that they had conquered, and retreated early in the next year. To fill this void, a jiedushi named Liu Zhiyuan entered the imperial capital in 947, proclaiming the Later Han Dynasty. This was the most short-lived of the 5 dynasties, as a coup in 951 led to the enthronement of General Guo Wei and the beginning of the Later Zhou Dynasty. However, Liu Chong, a member of the Later Han imperial family, set up the rival Northern Han regime in Taiyuan, and sought Khitan help to defeat Later Zhou. After the death of Guo Wei in 951, his adopted son Chai Rong succeeded the throne and began to pursue a policy of expansion and reunification. In 954 he defeated combined Khitan and Northern Han forces, ending their hopes of destroying Later Zhou. Between 956 and 958 Later Zhou dealt severe defeats to Southern Tang, the most powerful regime in South China, forcing them to cede all territory north of the Yangtze River. In 959 Chai Rong attacked the Khitan Empire in a bid to recover the territories ceded during the Later Jin Dynasty, and scored several victories before succumbing to illness. In 960, the general Zhao Kuangyin staged a coup and took the throne for himself, founding the Northern Song Dynasty. This marks the official end of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. Over the next two decades, Zhao Kuangyin and his successor Zhao Kuangyi defeated all of the other remaining regimes in China proper, conquering Northern Han in 979 and reunifying China completely by 982.

The South

Unlike North China, where dynasties succeeded each other in rapid succession, the regimes of South China existed more or less concurrently and each held on to a specific geographical area. By 920, Wu had been established in modern Jiangsu, Anhui, and Jiangxi provinces; Wuyue was based mostly in modern Zhejiang province, Min in Fujian, Southern Han in Guangdong, Chu in Hunan, Jingnan in Jiangling, Hubei province, and Former Shu in Sichuan. Sichuan fell under northern control in 925, but in 934 it regained independence as the Later Shu. In 937 Wu was replaced with Southern Tang. Although more stable than North China as a whole, South China was also torn apart by warfare. Wu quarrelled with her neighbours, a trend that continued as Wu was replaced with Southern Tang. In the 940's Min and Chu underwent internal crises which Southern Tang handily took advantage of, destroying Min in 945 and Chu in 951. (Remnants of Min and Chu, however, survived in the form of Qingyuan Jiedushi and Wuping Jiedushi for many years after.) With this, Southern Tang became the undisputedly most powerful regime of Southern China. However, it was unable to defeat incursions by the Later Zhou Dynasty between 956 and 958, and ceded away all of its land north of the Yangtze River. The Northern Song Dynasty, established in 960, was determined to reunify China. Jingnan and Wuping were swept away in 963, Later Shu in 965, Southern Han in 971, Southern Tang in 975. Finally, Wuyue and Qingyuan gave up their land to Northern Song in 978, bringing all of South China into the control of the central government.

List of Sovereigns

Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

Sovereigns in Period of Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms 907-960
Temple Names ( Miao Hao 廟號 miao4 hao4)	Posthumous Names ( Shi Hao 諡號 )	Personal Names	Period of Reigns	Era Names (Nian Hao 年號) and their according range of years
the Five Dynasties
Convention: name of dynasty + temple name or posthumous name
Hou (Later) Liang Dynasty 907-923
Tai Zu\|太祖 tai4 zu3	Too tedious thus not used when referring to this sovereign	Zhu Wen\|朱溫 zhu1 wen1	907-912	Kaiping (開平 kai1 ping2) 907-911 Qianhua (乾化 qian2 hua4) 911-912
Did not exist	Mo Di \|末帝 mo4 di4	Zhu Zhen\|朱瑱 zhu1 zhen4	913-923	Qianhua (乾化 qian2 hua4) 913-9115 Zhenming (貞明 zhen1 ming2) 915-921 Longde (龍德 long2 de2) 921-923
Hou (Later) Tang Dynasty 923-936
Zhuang Zong\|莊宗 zhuang1 zong1	Too tedious thus not used when referring to this sovereign	Li Cun Xu\|李存勗 li3 cun2 xu4	923-926	Tongguang (同光 tong2 guang1) 923-926
Ming Zong\|明宗 ming2 zong1	Too tedious thus not used when referring to this sovereign	Li Si Yuan\|李嗣源 li3 si4 yuan2 or Li Dan\|李亶 li3 dan3	926-933	Tiancheng (天成 tian1 cheng2) 926-930 Changxing (長興 chang2 xing1) 930-933
Did not exist	Min Di\|節閔帝 min3 di4	Li Cong Xu\|李從厚 li3 cong2 hou4	933-934	Yingshun (應順 ying4 shun4) 913-9115
Did not exist	Mo Di \|末帝 mo4 di4	Li Cong Ke\|李從珂 li3 cong2 ke1	934-936	Qingtai (清泰 qing1 tai4) 934-936
Hou (Later) Jin Dynasty 936-947
Gao Zu\|高祖 gao1 zu3	Too tedious thus not used when referring to this sovereign	Shi Jing Tang\|石敬瑭 shi4 jing4 tang2	936-942	Tianfu (天福 tian1 fu2) 936-942
Did not exist	Chu Di\|出帝 chu1 di4	Shi Chong Gui\|石重貴 shi4 chong2 gui4	942-947	Tianfu (天福 tian1 fu2) 942-944 Kaiyun (開運 kai1 yun4) 944-947
Hou (Later) Han Dynasty 936-947
Gao Zu\|高祖 gao1 zu3	Too tedious thus not used when referring to this sovereign	Liu Zhi Yuan\|劉知遠 liu3 zhi1 yuan3	947-948	Tianfu (天福 tian1 fu2) 947 Qianyou (乾祐 qian2 you4) 948
Did not exist	Yin Di\|隱帝 yin3 di4	Liu Cheng You\|劉承祐 liu3 cheng2 you4	948-950	Qianyou (乾祐 qian2 you4) 948-950
Hou (Later) Zhou Dynasty 951-960
Tai Zu\|太祖 tai4 zu3	Too tedious thus not used when referring to this sovereign	Guo Wei\|郭威 guo1 wei1	951-954	Guangshun (廣順 guang3 shun4) 951-954 Xiande (顯德 xian3 de2) 954
Shi Zong (世宗 shi4 zong1)	Too tedious thus not used when referring to this sovereign	Chai Rong\|柴榮 chai2 rong2	954-959	Xiande (顯德 xian3 de2) 954-959
Did not exist	Gong Di\|恭帝 gong1 di4	Chai Zong Xun\|柴宗訓 chai2 zong1 xun4	959-960	Xiande (顯德 xian3 de2) 959-960
the Ten Kingdoms
Convention: use personal names, noticed otherwise
Wu Yue Kingdom 904-978
Tai Zu\|太祖 tai4 zu3	Wu Su Wang\|武肅王 wu3 su4 wang2	Qian Liu\|錢鏐 qian2 liu2	904-932	Tianbao (天寶 tian1 bao3) 908-923 Baoda (寶大 bao3 da4) 923-925 Baozheng (寶正 bao3 zheng4) 925-932
Shi Zong (世宗 shi4 zong1)	Wen Mu Wang\|文穆王 wen2 mu4 wang2	Qian Yuan Quan\|錢元瓘 qian2 yuan2 guan4	932-941	Did not exist
Cheng Zong 成宗 cheng2 zong1)	Zhong Xian Wang\|忠獻王 zhong1 xian4 wang2	Qian Zuo\|錢佐 qian2 zuo3	941-947	Did not exist
Did not exist	Zhong Xun Wang\|忠遜王 zhong1 xun4 wang2	Qian Zong\|錢倧 qian2 zong1	947	Did not exist
Did not exist	Zhong Yi Wang\|忠懿王 zhong1 yi4 wang2	Qian Chu\|錢俶 qian2 chu4	947-978	Did not exist
Min Kingdom 909-945 including Yin Kingdom 943-945
Tai Zu\|太祖 tai4 zu3	Zhong Yi Wang\|忠懿王 zhong1 yi4 wang2	Wang Shen Zhi\|王審知 wang2 shen3 zhi1	909-925	Did not exist
Did not exist	Did not exist	Wang Yan Han\|王延翰 wang2 yan2 han4	925-926	Did not exist
Tai Zong (太宗 tai4 zong1)	Hui Di (惠帝 hui4 di4)	Wang Yan Jun\|王延鈞 wang2 yan2 jun1	926-935	Longqi (龍啟 long2 qi3) 933-935 Yonghe (永和 yong3 he2) 935
Kang Zong (康宗 kang1 zong1)	Too tedious thus not used when referring to this sovereign	Wang Ji Peng\|王繼鵬 wang2 ji4 peng2	935-939	Tongwen (通文 tong1 wen2) 936-939
Jing Zong (景宗 jing3 zong1)	Too tedious thus not used when referring to this sovereign	Wang Yan Xi\|王延羲 wang2 yan2 xi1	939-944	Yonglong (永隆 yong3 long2) 939-944
Did not exist	Tian De Di (天德帝 tian1 de2 di4) (as Emperor of Yin)	Wang Yan Zheng\|王延政 wang2 yan2 zheng4	943-945	Tiande (天德 tian1 de2) 943-945
Jing Nan or Nan Ping Kingdom 906-963
Did not exist	Wu Xin Wang\|武信王 wu3 xin4 wang2	Gao Ji Xing\|高季興 gao1 ji4 xing1	909-928	Did not exist
Did not exist	Wen Xian Wang\|文獻王 wen2 xin4 wang2	Gao Cong Hui\|高從誨 gao1 cong2 hui4	928-948	Did not exist
Did not exist	Zhen Yi Wang\|貞懿王 yi4 wang2	Gao Bao Rong\|高寶融 gao1 bao3 rong2	948-960	Did not exist
Did not exist	Shi Zhong\|侍中 shi4 zhong1	Gao Bao Xu\|高寶勗 gao1 bao3 xu4	960-962	Did not exist
Did not exist	Did not exist	Gao Ji Chong\|高繼沖 gao1 ji4 chong1	962-963	Did not exist
Chu Kingdom 897-951
Did not exist	Wu Mo Wang\|武穆王 wu3 mo4 wang2	Ma Yin\|馬殷 ma3 yin1	897-930	Did not exist
Did not exist	Heng Yang Wang\|衡陽王 heng2 yang2 wang2	Ma Xi Sheng\|馬希聲 ma3 xi1 sheng1	930-932	Did not exist
Did not exist	Wen Zhao Wang\|文昭王 wen2 zhao1 wang2	Ma Xi Fan\|馬希範 ma3 xi1 fan4	932-947	Did not exist
Did not exist	Fei Wang\|廢王 fei4 wang2	Ma Xi Guang\|馬希廣 ma3 xi1 guang3	947-950	Did not exist
Did not exist	Gong Xiao Wang\|恭孝王 gong1 xiao4 wang2	Ma Xi E\|馬希萼 ma3 xi1 e4	950	Did not exist
Did not exist	Did not exist	Ma Xi Chong\|馬希崇 ma3 xi1 chong2	950-951	Did not exist
Wu Kingdom 904-937
Tai Zu\|太祖 tai4 zu3	Xiao Wu Di\|孝武帝 xiao4 wu3 di4	Yang Xing Mi\|楊行密 yang2 xing2 mi4	904-905	Tianyao (天祐 tian1 you4) 904-905
Lie Zong\|烈宗 lie4 zong1	Jing Di\|景帝 jing3 di4	Yang Wo\|楊渥 yang2 wo4	905-908	Tianyao (天祐 tian1 you4) 905-908
Gao Zu\|高祖 gao1 zu3	Xuan Di\|宣帝 xuan1 di4	Yang Long Yan\|楊隆演 yang2 long2 yan3	908-921	Tianyao (天祐 tian1 you4) 908-919 Wuyi (武義 wu3 yi4) 919-921
Did not exist	Rui Di\|睿帝 rui4 di4	Yang Pu\|楊溥 yang2 pu3	921-937	Shunyi (順義 shun4 yi4) 921-927 Qianzhen (乾貞 qian2 zhen1) 927-929 Dahe (大和 da4 he2) 929-935 Tianzuo (天祚 tian1 zuo4) 935-937
Nan (Southern) Tang Kingdom 937-975
Convention for this kingdom only : Nan (Southern) Tang + posthumous names. Hou Zhu was referred to as Li Hou Zhu\|李後主 li3 hou4 zhu3.
Xian Zhu\|先主 xian1 zhu3 or Lie Zu\|烈祖 lie4 zu3	Too tedious thus not used when referring to this sovereign	Li Bian\|李(曰 on top of 弁) li3 bian4	937-943	Shengyuan (昇元 sheng1 yuan2) 937-943
Zhong Zhu\|中主 zhong1 zhu3 or Yuan Zong\|元宗 yuan2 zong1	Too tedious thus not used when referring to this sovereign	Li Jing\|李璟 li3 jing3	943-961	Baoda (保大 bao3 da4) 943-958 Jiaotai (交泰 jiao1 tai4) 958 Zhongxing (中興 zhong1 xing1) 958
Hou Zhu\|後主 hou4 zhu3	Wu Wang\|武王 wu3 wang2	Li Yu\|李煜 li3 yu4	961-975	Did not exist
Nan (Southern) Han Kingdom 917-971
Gao Zu\|高祖 gao1 zu3	Tian Huang Da Di\|天皇大帝 tian1 huang2 da4 di4	Liu Yan\|劉巖 liu3 yan2 or Liu Yan\|劉(龍 on top of 天) liu3 yan3	917-925	Qianheng (乾亨 qian2 heng1) 917-925 Bailong (白龍 bai2 long2) 925-928 Dayou (大有 da4 you3) 928-941
Did not exist	Shang Di\|殤帝 shang1 di4	Liu Fen\|劉玢 liu3 fen1	941-943	Guangtian (光天 guag1 tian1) 941-943
Zhong Zong\|中宗 zhong1 zong1	Too tedious thus not used when referring to this sovereign	Liu Cheng\|劉晟 liu3 cheng2	943-958	Yingqian (應乾 ying4 qian2) 943 Qianhe (乾和 qian4 he2) 943-958
Hou Zhu\|後主 hou4 zhu3	Did not exist	Liu Chang\|劉鋹 liu3 chang3	958-971	Dabao (大寶 da4 bao3) 958-971
Bei (Northern) Han Kingdom 951-979
Shi Zu\|世祖 shi4 zu3	Shen Wu Di\|神武帝 shen2 wu3 di4	Liu Min\|劉旻 liu3 min2	951-954	Qianyou (乾祐 qian2 you4) 951-954
Rui Zong\|睿宗 rui4 zong1	Xiao He Di\|孝和帝 xiao4 he2 di4	Liu Cheng Jun\|劉承鈞 liu3 cheng2 jun1	954-970	Qianyou (乾祐 qian2 you4) 954-957 Tianhui (天會 tian1 hui4) 957-970
Shao Zhu\|少主 shao4 zhu3	Did not exist	Liu Ji En\|劉繼恩 liu3 ji4 en1	970	Did not exist
Did not exist	Ying Wu Di\|英武帝 ying1 wu3 di4	Liu Ji Yuan\|劉繼元 liu3 ji4 yuan2	970-982	Guangyun (廣運 guang3 yun4) 970-982
Qian (Former) Shu Kingdom 907 - 925
Gao Zu\|高祖 gao1 zu3	Too tedious thus not used when referring to this sovereign	Wang Jian\|王建 wang2 jian4	907-918	Tianfu (天復 tian1 fu4) 907 Wucheng (武成 wu3 cheng22) 908-910 Yongping (永平 yong3 ping2) 911-915 Tongzheng (通正 tong1 zheng4) 916 Tianhan (天漢 tian1 han4) 917 Guangtian (光天 guang1 tian1) 918
Hou Zhu\|後主 hou4 zhu3	Did not exist	Wang Yan\|王衍 wang2 yan3	918-925	Qiande (乾德 qian2 de2) 918-925 Xiankang (咸康 xian2 kang1) 925
Hou (Later) Shu Kingdom 934 - 965
Gao Zu\|高祖 gao1 zu3	Too tedious thus not used when referring to this sovereign	Meng Zhi Xiang\|孟知祥 meng4 zhi1 xiang2	934	Mingde (明德 ming2 de2) 934
Hou Zhu\|後主 hou4 zhu3	Did not exist	Meng Chang\|孟昶 meng4 chang3	938-965	Mingde (明德 ming2 de2) 934-938 Guangzheng (廣政 guang3 zheng4) 938-965

Other regimes

local independent regimes during Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period but traditionally not counted in the Ten Kingdoms
Name of Posts	Personal Names	Period on post
Wuping and Hunan 節度\|jie2 du4 (similar to thema of the Byzantine Empire) 950-963
Wuping strategos (correct English translation?)\|武平節度使 wu3 ping2 jie2 du4 shi3	Liu Yan\|劉言 liu3 yan2	950-953
Wuping strategos (correct English translation?)\|武平節度使 wu3 ping2 jie2 du4 shi3	Wang Kui\|王逵 wang2 kui2 or Wang Jin Kui\|王進逵 wang2 jin4 kui2	953-956
Hunan strategos (correct English translation?)\|湖南節度使 hu2 nan2 jie2 du4 shi3	Zhou Xing Feng\|周行逢 zhao1 xing2 feng2	956-962
Hunan strategos (correct English translation?)\|湖南節度使 hu2 nan2 jie2 du4 shi3	Zhou Bao Quan\|周保權 zhao1 bao3 quan2	962-963
Quanzhang 節度\|jie2 du4 (similar to thema of the Byzantine Empire) 945-978
Quanzhang strategos (correct English translation?)\|泉漳都指揮使 quan2 zhang1 du1 zhi3 hui1 shi3	Liu Cong Xiao\|留從效 liu2 cong2 xiao4	945-962
Quanzhang strategos (correct English translation?)\|泉漳留守 quan2 zhang1 liu2 shou3	Liu Shao Zi\|留紹鎡 liu2 shao4 zi1	962
Quanzhang strategos (correct English translation?)\|泉漳節度使 quan2 zhang1 jie2 du4 shi3	Zhang Han Si\|張漢思 zhang1 han4 si1	962-963
Quanzhang strategos (correct English translation?)\|泉漳節度使 quan2 zhang1 jie2 du4 shi3	Chen Hong Jin\|陳洪進 chen2 hong2 jin4	963-978

Zhaozhou

Zhaozhou Congshen (趙州從諗) (778?-897?), known as Chao-chou Ts'ung-shen in Wade-Giles and Jōshū Jūshin in Japanese, was one of the renowned Chan (Zen) masters of ancient China. Zhaozhou took his monastic name from the name of the small town near Beijing where he lived. He is said to have been born in 778 and to have died in 897, giving him an alleged life span of 119 years. According to the same sources, he only entered monastery life at the ripe age of 61 (or 80), but under the tutelage of Nanquan (Nansen) he learned rapidly and eventually became abbot, a position he held for 40 years. He was known for his asceticism but also his kindness, favouring verbal debate to striking his students. Even during his lifetime his fame grew rapidly: five of the 48 koans in The Gateless Gate are attributed to Zhaozhou, as well as twelve of the 100 in the Blue Cliff Record. Probably the best known of these is Zhaozhou's Dog, in which a monk asks the question: "Does a dog have Buddha nature or not?" Zhaozhou then shouted "wú!" (無; transliterated into Japanese as "mu") His style was known as "lips-and-tongue Zen" for its ability to make pithy responses with many layers of meaning. Category:Zen masters

Wu, Prince of Korea

Prince Wu of Korea (1912-1945), was the 4th head of Unhyeon Palace and a member of the Imperial family of Korea. He was born the second son of Prince Gang, the fifth son of Emperor Gojong. At the age of five, he was adopted to be the heir of deceased Prince Jun (or Prince Yeongseon, 永宣君李埈 yeong seon gun i jun), the 3rd head of Unhyeon Palace and the only son of the elder brother of Emperor Gojong, Prince Hui (or Prince Heung, 興親王李熹 heung chin wang i hui or Yi Jaemyeon, Prince Wanheung of Korea, 完興君李載冕 wan heung gun i jae myeon). He was taken to Japan shortly afterwards in pretence of educational purposes. However, unlike his elder brother, Prince Geon (李鍵 이건 i geon), he maintained his integrity as a Korean, despite his Japanese education. This made him the favourite son of his father, Prince Gang, who himself attempted to escape from Korea to join the exiled Korean Government. He overcame all attempts by the Japanese to marry him off to a minor Japanese noble, and married Lady Park Chan-ju, a granddaughter of Marquis Park Yeong-hyo who was a husband of Princess Yeonghye of Korea. They had two children, Yi Chung (李淸 이청 i cheong) (born 23 April 1936) and Yi Jong (李淙 이종 i jong) (born 9 November 1940 - death). Prince Wu was forced to serve in Japanese Army stationed in China. While in China, he is reputed to have supported the guerilla resistance movement by exiled Korean and Chinese people. He also supposedly fathered a child of Yu Jung-soon in 1943, the daughter of General Yu Dong-ryul, a minister in Korean Provisional Government in exile. The child, named Yi Chonam, asserted and still asserts the parentage of Prince Wu, though Princess Wu refused to recognise him during her lifetime. Prince Wu was restationed to Hiroshima in 1945, and on 6th August, 1945, he was killed by the atomic bomb blast on the way to his office. His body was moved to Korea and was buried in Hongneung Imperial tomb on 15th August, the day of Korean Liberation.

Chinese surname

A Chinese surname, family name ( or clan name 氏; shì), is one of the hundreds or thousands of family names that have been historically used by Han Chinese and Sinicized Chinese ethnic groups in mainland China, Taiwan, and among ethnic Chinese in overseas Chinese communities. Chinese family names are patrilineal, passed from father to children. (In cases of adoption, the adoptee usually also takes the same surname.) Chinese women, after marriage, typically retain their birth surname. The colloquial expression "the hundred surnames" (百姓 bǎi xìng) is used in Chinese to mean "the people" or "commoners". See List of common Chinese surnames for the 100 most common surnames.

Origin of surnames

Prior to the Warring States Period (5th century BCE), only the royal family and the aristocratic elite could generally take surnames. Historically there was also difference between xing and shi. Xing were surnames held by the immediate royal family. They generally are composed of a nü (女, meaning "female") radical which suggests that they originated from matriarchal societies based on maternal lineages. Prior to the Qin Dynasty (3rd century BCE) China was largely a feudal society. As fiefdoms were divided and subdivided among descendants, so additional sub-surnames known as shi were created to distinguish between different seniority of lineages among the nobles though in theory they shared the same ancestor. In this way, a nobleman would hold a shi and a xing. After the states of China were unified by Qin Shi Huang, surnames gradually devolved to the lower classes and the difference between xing and shi blurred. Shi surnames, many of which survive to the present day, generally share twelve paths of origin: # From xing: These were usually reserved for the central lineage of the royal family, with collateral lineages taking their own shi. Of the six or so common xing, only Jiang (姜) and Yao (姚) have survived as frequently occurring surnames. # From state names: Many commoners took the name of their state, either to show their continuing allegiance or as a matter of national and ethnic identity. Common examples include Song (宋), Wu (吴), Chen (陈). Not surprisingly, due to the population size of the peasantry, these are some of the most common Chinese surnames. # From the name of fiefs or place of origin. Fiefdoms were often granted to collateral branches of the aristocracy and it was natural as part of the process of sub-surnaming for their names to be used. An example is Di, Marquis of Ouyangting, whose descendants took the surname Ouyang. There are some two hundred examples of this identified, often of two-character surnames, but few have survived to the present. # From the names of ancestors: Like the previous example, this was also a common origin with close to 500 or 600 examples, 200 of which are two-character surnames. Often an ancestor's style name would be used. For example, Yuan Taotu took the second character of his grandfather's style name Boyuan (伯爰) as his surname. Sometimes titles granted to ancestors could also be taken as surnames. # From seniority within the family: In ancient usage, the characters of meng (孟), zhong (仲), shu (叔) and ji (季) were used to denote the first, second, third and fouth eldest sons in a family. These were sometimes adopted as surnames. Of these, Meng is the best known, being the surname of philosopher Mencius, for example. # From occupation: These could arise from both official positions, as in the case of Sima (司马), originally akin to "Minister of War". They could also arise from more lowly occupations, as with Tao (陶), meaning "potter" or Wu (巫), meaning "shaman". # From ethnic groups: Non-Chinese peoples in China sometimes took the name of their ethnic group as surname. The best example is Hu (胡), which originally referred to all "barbarian" groups on the northern frontier of China.

Distribution of surnames

Surnames are not evenly distributed throughout China's geography. In northern China, Wang (王) is the most popular surname, being shared by 9.9% of the population. Next are Li (李), Zhang (张) and Liu (刘). In the south, Chen (陈) is the most popular, being shared by 10.6% of the population. Next are Li, Huang (黄), Lin (林) and Zhang (张). Around the major crossing points of the Yangtze River, the most popular surname is Li, taking up 7.7%, followed by Wang, Zhang, Chen and Liu. A 1987 study showed over 450 family names in common use in Beijing, but there were less than 300 family names in Fujian.[http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/encyclopedia/l/li/list_of_most_common_surnames.htm] A study by geneticist Yuan Yida has found that certain names appear most commonly in each province of China. In Guangdong it is Liang (梁) and Luo (罗), in Guangxi it is Liang (梁) and Lu (陆), in Fujian it is Zheng (郑); in Taiwan it is Cai (蔡); in Anhui it is Wang (汪); in Jiangsu it is Xu (徐) and Zhu (朱); in Zhejiang it is Mao (毛) and Shen (沈); in Jiangxi it is Hu (胡) and Liao (廖); in Hubei it is Hu (胡); in Hunan it is Tan (谭); in Sichuan it is He (何) and Deng (邓); in Guizhou it is Wu (吴); in Yunnan it is Yang (杨); in Henan it is Cheng (程); in Gansu it is Gao (高); in Ningxia it is Wan (万); in Shaanxi it is Xue (薛); in Qinghai it is Bao (鲍); in Xinjiang it is Ma (马); in Shandong it is Kong (孔); in Shanxi it is Dong (董) and Guo (郭); in Inner Mongolia it is Pan (潘) and in the three provinces of Northeast China it is Yu (于). Some common Northern names are rare in the South. For example, the 55th most popular family name Xiao (肖) is almost unheard of in Hong Kong, as this "new" surname was "created" from oversimplifying the traditional surname "蕭" during the Cultural Revolution. 陳 (simp. 陈) is perhaps the most common last name in Hong Kong and Macau (romanized as Chan) and is also common in Taiwan (romanized as Chen). Fang (方), which is only the 47th most common overall, is much more common in San Francisco's Chinatown in the United States. As with the concentration of family names, this can also be explained statistically, as a person with an uncommon name could move to an unsettled area and leave this family name to large numbers of people. After the Song Dynasty, surname distributions in China largely stabilised. Villages were often made up of individuals with the same surname, often with a common male ancestor. They usually intermarried with nearby villages, creating clusters of individuals with similar genetic background.

Surnames at present

Of the thousands of surnames which have been identified from historical texts prior to the Han Dynasty, most have either been lost or simplified. In recent centuries some two-character surnames have often dropped a character. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, moreover, some surnames have been graphically simplified. Although there are thousands of Chinese family names, the 100 most common surnames, which together make up less than 5% of those in existence, are shared by 85% of the population. The three most common surnames in Mainland China are Li, Wang and Zhang, which make up 7.9%, 7.4% and 7.1% respectively. Together they number close to 300 million and are easily the most common surnames in the world. In a 1990 study, the top 200 family names accounted for over 96% of a random sample of 174,900 persons, with over 500 other names accounting for the remaining 4%.[http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/encyclopedia/l/li/list_of_most_common_surnames.htm] In a different study (1987), which combined data from Taiwan and mainland China (sample size of 570,000 persons), the top 19 names covered 55.6%, and the top 100 names covered 87% of the sample. Other data suggest that the top 50 names comprise 70% of the population.[http://www.diversity-whatworks.gov.uk/publications/pdf/hmlandregistryculturaldiversity.pdf] Most commonly occurring Chinese family names have only one character; however, about twenty double-character family names have survived into the modern time. Some famous ones include Sima (司馬, simp. 司马), Zhuge (諸葛, simp. 诸葛), Ouyang or Au Yeung (歐陽, simp. 欧阳, occasionally Romanized as O'Young, giving some Anglophones an Irish impression), and Szeto (in Cantonese) (司徒 in pinyin: Situ). (There are family names with three or more characters, but those are not ethnically Han Chinese, for example, Aixinjueluo (愛新覺羅, also romanized from the Manchu language as Aisin Gioro, which was the family name of the Manchu royal family of the Qing dynasty.) Transliteration of Chinese family names (see List of common Chinese surnames) into English poses a number of problems. It is common for the same surname to be transliterated differently and for different family names with similar pronunciations to be transliterated identically.

Usage

In writing Chinese names, Chinese family names are placed before the given name, e.g. Cheung Kwok Wing. Hence the Western concept of first name and last name only creates confusion when used with Chinese names. In Westernized Asian countries or for those residing in the West, often a Western name is chosen, e.g. Leslie Cheung (張國榮). When the Western name and Chinese name are put together, it often becomes hard to tell what the family name is. Using Leslie Cheung as an example, some variants include:
- Zhāng Guóróng — China, transcription using official Hanyu pinyin system, which romanizes Mandarin pronunciation of Chinese characters and adds suprasegmental tone markers.
- Cheung Kwok-wing