kingdom · China, Tibet and Mongolia

Later Shu

934 CE – 965 CE · capital Chengdu

The second independent kingdom of Sichuan in the tenth century, a prosperous haven of poetry, painting and learning under the Meng family.

Origins

After the Later Tang conquered Former Shu in 925, Meng Zhixiang was appointed military governor at Chengdu. When the Later Tang court tried to rein him in, he resisted, absorbed neighbouring eastern Sichuan and in 934 proclaimed himself emperor of Shu, dying months later.

Rule and society

His son Meng Chang reigned for over thirty years in peace. Sichuan prospered from rice, silk, salt and tea, and Chengdu's court became a cultural centre: the Huajian anthology of song lyrics was compiled there in 940, the bird and flower painter Huang Quan worked in the palace, and the Confucian classics were carved in stone.

Decline and legacy

In 964 the Song Dynasty invaded, and within weeks Meng Chang surrendered in 965. He was taken to Kaifeng, where he died soon after. Heavy Song exactions in Sichuan later provoked rebellions there.

Lineage

Later Tang 923 CE – 937 CELater Shu

Connections (1)

Later Shu was conquered by Song Dynasty965 CE

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Cite this page

APA: The Epoch Institute. (2026). Later Shu. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/later-shu
MLA: “Later Shu.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/later-shu. Accessed .
Chicago: The Epoch Institute. “Later Shu.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/later-shu.
Harvard: The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Later Shu’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/later-shu (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻