Meng Chang was Emperor of Later Shu

Later Shu

Later Shu was one of the Ten Kingdoms during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period in China from 907 to 960. It was located in present-day Sichuan with its capital in Chengdu.-Founding:...

 (934–965), one of the Ten Kingdoms

Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period

Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms was between 907–960/979 AD and an era of political upheaval in China, between the fall of the Tang Dynasty and the founding of the Song Dynasty. During this period, five dynasties quickly succeeded one another in the north, and more than 12 independent states were...

 located in the Sichuan

Sichuan

' , known formerly in the West by its postal map spellings of Szechwan or Szechuan is a province in Southwest China with its capital in Chengdu...

 basin.

Accession to the Throne

Meng Chang, posthumously known as Houzhu (後主,) was the son of Meng Zhixiang

Meng Zhixiang

Meng Zhixiang was a Chinese general and later founder of the Later Shu kingdom, one of the Ten Kingdoms of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, in 934.-Service under the Later Tang:...

, the founder of the Later Shu

Later Shu

Later Shu was one of the Ten Kingdoms during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period in China from 907 to 960. It was located in present-day Sichuan with its capital in Chengdu.-Founding:...

 kingdom. When his father died in 934, he named himself emperor of the kingdom.

Rule and Fall

Meng ruled ably for three decades. The Later Shu

Later Shu

Later Shu was one of the Ten Kingdoms during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period in China from 907 to 960. It was located in present-day Sichuan with its capital in Chengdu.-Founding:...

 became one of the centers for the arts and literature, where it flourished with support from the court. An anthology of lyric poetry

Poetry

Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...

 known as the Amidst the Flowers Anthology was compiled in 940 It was also among the most stable of the southern kingdoms.

A new force arose in the north in 960 when the Song Dynasty

Song Dynasty

The Song Dynasty was a ruling dynasty in China between 960 and 1279; it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, and was followed by the Yuan Dynasty. It was the first government in world history to issue banknotes or paper money, and the first Chinese government to establish a...

 replaced the Later Zhou Dynasty

Later Zhou Dynasty

The Later Zhou Dynasty was the last a succession of five dynasties that controlled most of northern China during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, which lasted from 907 to 960 and bridged the gap between the Tang Dynasty and the Song Dynasty.-Founding of the Dynasty:Guo Wei, a Han...

, the last of the Five Dynasties

Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period

Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms was between 907–960/979 AD and an era of political upheaval in China, between the fall of the Tang Dynasty and the founding of the Song Dynasty. During this period, five dynasties quickly succeeded one another in the north, and more than 12 independent states were...

. Song Taizu made it his mission to reunify the realm. Song

Song Dynasty

The Song Dynasty was a ruling dynasty in China between 960 and 1279; it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, and was followed by the Yuan Dynasty. It was the first government in world history to issue banknotes or paper money, and the first Chinese government to establish a...

 forces forced Meng Chang to surrender in 965 on the road to the reunification of most of China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

.