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| 875–84 |
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| The Rebellion of Huang Chao (d. 884) began in Henan. When the rebels attacked Guangzhou (879), they murdered many thousands of Muslims, Christians, Manicheans (See Economy, Society, and Culture), and Jews. They occupied Chang'an (881), forcing the court to flee to Sichuan. Turkish armies helped the Tang crush the rebels. | 1 |
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| 903 |
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| Zhu Wen (852–914), a former ally of Huang Chao, took control over Chang'an, installed a boy emperor on the throne in Luoyang (904), and then seized the throne in his own name (907), ruling until his death seven years later. | 2 |
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| 907–60 |
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| The FIVE DYNASTIES PERIOD witnessed a succession of five short-lived states assuming imperial authority but scarcely ruling beyond the reach of the Yellow River Basin. These were basically military regimes with barely enough time to consolidate power. | 3 |
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| 907–23 |
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| Later Liang, founded by Zhu Wen, was based in Kaifeng. | 4 |
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| 923–34 |
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| Later Tang. | 5 |
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| 936–47 |
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| Later Jin. | 6 |
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| 947–51 |
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| Later Han. | 7 |
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| 951–60 |
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| Later Zhou. | 8 |
| There were as well ten successive regimes in central and south China. At the same time, the Khitan (in Chinese, Qitan) Empire formed to the northeast (905), and Yelü Abaoji (872–926) declared himself emperor (916). The Khitans were a Mongolian people living in southern Manchuria. When they aided the establishment of the Later Jin in Kaifeng, the Jin paid the Khitan tribute, though when the second Jin emperor refused to do so, the Khitans destroyed their erstwhile allies and took Kaifeng and northern China (946–47). They established their capital at Yanjing (present-day Beijing, 938), but later withdrew from northern China due the daunting task of ruling there. In 916 the Khitan established the Liao dynasty, which lasted until 1125. | 9 |
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