| Native Name: | |
| Conventional Long Name: | Han / Yue |
| Common Name: | Southern Han |
| Era: | Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period |
| Status: | Empire |
| Empire: | Later Liang |
| Government Type: | Monarchy |
| Year Start: | 917 |
| Year End: | 971 |
| Event Start: | Established |
| Event End: | Ended by the Song dynasty |
| Event1: | Renamed from "Yue" to "Han" |
| Date Event1: | 918 |
| P1: | Tang dynasty |
| S1: | Song dynasty |
| S2: | Ngô dynasty |
| Image Map Caption: | Southern Han (dark blue) |
| Capital: | Xingwang Fu (Guangzhou) |
| Common Languages: | Middle Chinese |
| Leader1: | Emperor Gaozu |
| Leader2: | Emperor Shangdi |
| Leader3: | Emperor Zhongzong |
| Leader4: | Emperor Houzhu |
| Year Leader1: | 917–941 |
| Year Leader2: | 941–943 |
| Year Leader3: | 943–958 |
| Year Leader4: | 958–971 |
| Title Leader: | Emperor |
| Today: | China Vietnam |
Southern Han (; 917–971), officially Han, originally Yue, was a dynastic state of China and one of the Ten Kingdoms that existed during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. It was located on China's southern coast, controlling modern Guangdong and Guangxi. The dynasty greatly expanded its capital Xingwang Fu (present-day Guangzhou). It attempted but failed to annex the autonomous polity of Jinghai, which was controlled by the Vietnamese.
Liu Yin was named regional governor and military officer by the Tang court in 905. Though the Tang fell two years later, Liu did not declare himself the founder of a new kingdom as other southern leaders had done. He merely inherited the title of Prince of Nanping in 909.
It was not until Liu Yin's death in 917 that his brother, Liu Yan, declared the founding of a new kingdom, which he initially called "Yue" (Chinese: 越); he changed the name to Han (Chinese: 漢) in 918. This was because his surname Liu (Chinese: 劉) was the imperial surname of the Han dynasty and he claimed to be a descendant of that famous dynasty. The kingdom is often referred to as the Southern Han dynasty throughout China's history. It attempted but failed to annex the independent polity of Jinghai which was controlled by the Vietnamese.
With its capital at present-day Guangzhou, the domains of the kingdom spread along the coastal regions of present-day Guangdong, Guangxi and the island of Hainan. It had borders with the kingdoms of Min, Chu and the Southern Tang as well as the non-Chinese kingdoms of Dali. The Southern Tang occupied all of the northern boundary of the Southern Han after Min and Chu were conquered by the Southern Tang in 945 and 951 respectively.
During the late 9th century as the Tang dynasty weakened, local Vietnamese lords began taking control of its domain in Jinghai (northern Vietnam). Southern Han campaigned twice against the Vietnamese in 931 and 938 in an attempt to add these Vietnamese territories to their realm, but failed both.
The Five Dynasties ended in 960 when the Song dynasty was founded to replace the Later Zhou. From that point, the new Song rulers set themselves about to continue the reunification process set in motion by the Later Zhou. Through the 960s and 970s, the Song increased its influence in the south until finally it was able to force the Southern Han dynasty to submit to its rule in 971.
| Temple Names | Posthumous Names | Personal Names | Period of Reigns | Era Names | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gao Zu (Chinese: 高祖) | Tian Huang Da Di (Chinese: 天皇大帝) | Liu Yan (Chinese: 劉巖)Liu Yan (Chinese: 劉龑) after 926 | 917–941 | Qianheng (Chinese: 乾亨) 917–925 Bailong (Chinese: 白龍) 925–928 Dayou (Chinese: 大有) 928–941 | |
| Did not exist | Shang Di (Chinese: 殤帝) | Liu Bin (Chinese: 劉玢) | 941–943 | Guangtian (Chinese: 光天) 941–943 | |
| Zhong Zong (Chinese: 中宗) | Wénwǔ Guāngmíng Xiào (Chinese: 文武光明孝皇帝)Too tedious thus not used when referring to this sovereign | Liu Sheng (Chinese: 劉晟) | 943–958 | Yingqian (Chinese: 應乾) 943 Qianhe (Chinese: 乾和) 943–958 | |
| Hou Zhu (Chinese: 後主) | Did not exist | Liu Chang (Chinese: 劉鋹) | 958–971 | Dabao (Chinese: 大寶) 958–971 |