Yan

The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms is a period of political upheaval in China, beginning in the Tang Dynasty and ending in the Song Dynasty.

During this period, five dynasties quickly succeed one another in the North, and more than a dozen independent states are established, mainly in the South.

However, only ten are traditionally listed, hence the era's name, "Ten Kingdoms."

Some historians, such as Bo Yang, count eleven, including Yan and Qi, but not Northern Han, viewing it as simply a continuation of Later Han.

The Yan State at present-day Beijing, established by Liu Shouguang in 911, only lasts for two years before destroyed by Li Cunxu, the son of Li Keyong and the prominent leader of what will become the Later Tang Dynasty.

As the only ruler of Yan, Liu wis noted for his cruelty, so this Yan is also called Jie Yan, which compares the regime to a former one under the cruel king Jie in Xia Dynasty.