Chu (Ten Kingdoms)

Chu 楚
← 907–951 →
Capital	Changsha
Language(s)	Middle Chinese
Government	Monarchy
Prince/King
- 907-930	Ma Yin
- 950-951	Ma Xichong
Historical era	Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period
- Became the State	907 907
- establishment of the Kingdom	927
- Ended by Southern Tang	951 951
Currency	Silk, Coin (Iron)

Chǔ (楚) was a kingdom in southern China during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period (907-960). It existed from 907 to 951.

Founding

Ma Yin was named regional governor by the Tang court in 896 after fighting against a rebel named Yang Xingmi. He declared himself as the Prince of Chu with the fall of the Tang Dynasty in 907. Ma’s position as Prince of Chu was confirmed by the Later Tang Dynasty in the north in 927 and was given the posthumous title of Chu Wumuwang.

Territorial Extant

The capital of the Chu Kingdom was Changsha (Tan Prefecture (潭州)). Present-day Hunan and northeastern Guangxi were under the control of the kingdom.

Economy

Chu was peaceful and prosperous under Ma Yin's rule, exporting horses, silk and tea. Silk was often used as a currency, particularly with external communities which would not accept the coinage of the land. Taxation was low for the peasantry and merchants.

Fall of the Chu

After Ma Yin died the leadership was subject to struggle and conflict which resulted in the fall of the kingdom. The Southern Tang, fresh from its conquest of the Min Kingdom, took advantage and conquered the kingdom in 951. The ruling family was removed to the Southern Tang capital of Nanjing and the kingdom was absorbed into the Southern Tang.

Rulers

Sovereigns in Chu Kingdom 907-951

Temple Names ( Miao Hao 廟號 miao4 hao4)	Posthumous Names ( Shi Hao 諡號 )	Personal Names	Period of Reigns	Era Names (Nian Hao 年號) and their according range of years
Did not exist	武穆王 wu3 mo4 wang2	Ma Yin|馬殷 ma3 yin1	907-930	Did not exist
Did not exist	衡陽王 heng2 yang2 wang2	馬希聲 ma3 xi1 sheng1	930-932	Did not exist
Did not exist	文昭王 wen2 zhao1 wang2	馬希範 ma3 xi1 fan4	932-947	Did not exist
Did not exist	廢王 fei4 wang2	馬希廣 ma3 xi1 guang3	947-950	Did not exist
Did not exist	恭孝王 gong1 xiao4 wang2	馬希萼 ma3 xi1 e4	950	Did not exist
Did not exist	Did not exist	馬希崇 ma3 xi1 chong2	950-951	Did not exist

References

• Mote, F.W. (1999). Imperial China (900-1800). Harvard University Press. p. 15. ISBN 0-674-01212-7. 
• "Chu 楚". The Ten Kingdoms. http://www.chinaknowledge.de/History/Tang/rulers-chu.html. Retrieved 12 April 2005.