Liu Yin had been named regional governor…

Liu Yin had been named regional governor and military officer by the Tang court in 905.

Though the Tang had fallen two years later, Liu had not declared himself the founder of a new kingdom as other southern leaders had done, but merely inherited the title of Prince of Nanping in 909.

It is not until Liu Yin’s death in 917 that his brother, Liu Yan, declares the founding of a new kingdom, which he initially calls "Great Yue,” but he will change the name to Great Han in 918, because his surname Liu is the imperial surname of the Han dynasty and he claims to be a descendant of that famous dynasty.

The kingdom, in Panyu (modern-day Guangdong) and Guangxi, is often referred as the Southern Han Dynasty throughout China's history.