Wuyue

Origins

Qian Liu, a former salt smuggler who became a soldier, defeated the rebel Dong Chang in 896 and gained control of the Zhejiang coast. In 907 the Later Liang named him Prince of Wuyue, and he governed from Qiantang (modern Hangzhou).

Rule and society

The Qian rulers generally accepted the suzerainty of the northern dynasties, avoiding major wars except with their neighbour Wu (Ten Kingdoms) and its successor Southern Tang. They built sea walls along the Qiantang river, drained and irrigated land, and traded by sea with the Khitan, Korea and Japan. Wuyue was a great centre of Buddhism, and the Leifeng and Baochu pagodas of Hangzhou date from its rule.

Decline and legacy

Qian Chu, the last king, helped the Song Dynasty conquer Southern Tang and in 978 surrendered his whole kingdom to Song without bloodshed. The Qian family was honoured at the Song court, and Hangzhou later became the Southern Song capital.