Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period

The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period was an age of political fragmentation in China that followed the fall of the Tang dynasty. In the north, five short-lived regimes ruled in succession from the old heartland, called the Later Liang, Later Tang, Later Jin, Later Han and Later Zhou, while in the south and west a number of smaller kingdoms held power. Military governors and generals seized power, and the period saw constant warfare, but also growth in the economy in some southern states, particularly in trade, tea and printing. The northern Later Zhou began the work of reunification, and after its last child emperor was deposed by the general Zhao Kuangyin, the new Song dynasty went on to subdue the remaining kingdoms.

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