kingdom · China, Tibet and Mongolia

Chen Han

1360 CE – 1364 CE · capital Wuchang

The Yangtze river empire of Chen Youliang, whose great fleet was destroyed by Zhu Yuanzhang at Lake Poyang in 1363, one of the largest naval battles in history.

Origins

Chen Youliang, the son of a fisherman, rose as an officer in the southern Red Turban regime of Xu Shouhui on the middle Yangtze. In 1360 he murdered Xu and proclaimed himself emperor of Han, ruling first from Jiangzhou and later from Wuchang.

Rule and society

Chen Han controlled Jiangxi and Huguang and was at first the strongest of the rebel states against the Yuan Dynasty. Its power rested on a large river fleet of towering warships. Chen ruled by force rather than by building institutions, and the murder of Xu Shouhui led commanders such as Ming Yuzhen in Sichuan to break away.

Decline and legacy

An attack on Nanjing failed in 1360. In 1363 Chen besieged Nanchang and then met Zhu Yuanzhang on Lake Poyang; after weeks of fighting, including fire-ships, Chen was killed by an arrow. His son Chen Li surrendered Wuchang in 1364, and his lands became part of the future Ming Empire.

Lineage

Yuan Dynasty 1271 CE – 1368 CEChen Han

Connections (1)

Chen Han was conquered by Ming Empire1364 CE

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Cite this page

APA: The Epoch Institute. (2026). Chen Han. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/chen-han
MLA: “Chen Han.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/chen-han. Accessed .
Chicago: The Epoch Institute. “Chen Han.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/chen-han.
Harvard: The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Chen Han’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/chen-han (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻