kingdom · China, Tibet and Mongolia
Nanyue
Origins
Zhao Tuo was a Qin officer sent south in the conquest of the Baiyue lands. As the Qin dynasty collapsed, he sealed the mountain passes, killed officials loyal to Qin and in 204 BCE proclaimed himself King of Nanyue, with his capital at Panyu (Guangzhou). He later annexed Au Lac in the Red River delta.
Rule and society
Zhao Tuo adopted Yue customs, married into local elites and ruled a mixed population of northern settlers and Yue peoples. He accepted Han overlordship in 196 BCE but styled himself emperor at home. The tomb of his grandson Zhao Mo in Guangzhou, with its jade burial suit and seals, shows a court combining Han, Chu and Yue traditions. In Vietnamese history the line is the Trieu dynasty.
Decline and legacy
In 112 BCE the chief minister Lü Jia killed the young king and the pro-Han queen dowager. The Han Dynasty sent fleets and armies, and in 111 BCE Panyu fell and Nanyue was divided into commanderies, beginning a millennium of Chinese rule in northern Vietnam.
Lineage
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (4)
- Nanyue was a vassal of Han Dynasty196 BCE – 111 BCE
- Nanyue paid tribute to Han Dynasty196 BCE – 112 BCE
- Au Lac was conquered by Nanyue179 BCE
- Nanyue was conquered by Han Dynasty111 BCE
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Nanyue. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/nanyue
- MLA
- “Nanyue.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/nanyue. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Nanyue.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/nanyue.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Nanyue’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/nanyue (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻