Min Kingdom

Min (Chinese: 閩; pinyin: Mǐn) was one of the Ten Kingdoms which was in existence between the years of 909 and 945. It existed in a mountainous region of modern-day Fujian province of China and had a history of quasi-independent rule. Its capital was Fuzhou. It was founded by Wang Shenzhi.

"Min dynasty" redirects here. For the empire ruling over China 1368–1644, see Ming dynasty.

Min 閩
909–945
Capital	Changle
Common languages	Middle Chinese, Proto-Min
Government	Monarchy
King/Emperor
• 909–925	Wang Shenzhi
• 943–945	Wang Yanzheng
Historical era	Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period
• Wang Shenzhi became the Prince	909
• Wang Yanjun declared himself the Emperor	933
• Independence of Yin	943
• Ended by Southern Tang	945
Preceded by Succeeded by Tang Dynasty Southern Tang Yin Wuyue
Today part of	China

Min Kingdom
Traditional Chinese	閩國
Simplified Chinese	闽国
Transcriptions Southern Min Hokkien POJ Bân-kok Eastern Min Fuzhou BUC Mìng-guók

Founding

Wang Shenzhi’s older brother Wang Chao was given the title of Surveillance Commissioner in 892. Wang Shenzhi himself was named military commissioner, and in 909, in the wake of the collapse of the Tang Dynasty two years earlier, named himself the Prince of Min. Wang Shenzhi’s son declared himself the Emperor of Min in 933. At that point, his father was posthumously named Min Taizu.

Etymology of "Min"

The early Chinese exonym Mǐn (閩) was a graphic pejorative written with Radical 142 虫, the "insect" or "reptile" radical. Xu Shen's (c. 121 CE) Shuowen Jiezi dictionary defines min as:[1] "Southeastern Yue [i.e., Viet]; snake race. [The character is formed] from [the] insect / serpent [radical and takes its pronunciation from] mén.

Territorial extent

The capital of the Min Kingdom was Changle, now known as Fuzhou. The kingdom was essentially limited to modern-day Fujian Province in China’s southeast.

Administration

The territory of the Min was relatively isolated and rugged, thus not as economically prosperous as other regions of the Chinese realm. The Min court attempted to attract scholars that would assist in constructing an effective bureaucratic and tax system to bring the kingdom up to contemporary standards. Maritime trade developed over this period of time. This would set the stage for a successful regional maritime trade that could continue during future Chinese dynasties.

Yin Kingdom

In 943, one of Wang Shenzhi’s sons rebelled and declared independence from the Min in the northwest of the territory of the kingdom, proclaiming the Yin dynasty. The Min court asked the Southern Tang for assistance in quelling the rebellion in Yin. Rather than assisting the Min government, the Southern Tang came in and absorbed the territory into its own holdings.

Fall of the Min

Seeing the threat posed by the Southern Tang, the Min court declared its allegiance to the Wuyue kingdom to its north. However, this did not stop the Southern Tang from marching in and incorporating the remainder of the Min Kingdom into its holdings in 945. However, in the year 949, the warlord Liu Congxiao, who nominally submitted to him but controlled Quan (泉州, in modern Quanzhou, Fujian) and Zhang (漳州, in modern Zhangzhou, Fujian) Prefectures in de facto independence and ruled by several of those generals called Qingyuan Jiedushi in succession until 978, when the territory was seized by Song Dynasty.

Rulers of Min

Sovereigns in Min (Ten Kingdoms) Kingdom in 909–945 (including Yin (943–945))

Temple Names	Posthumous Names	Personal Names	Period of Reigns	Era Names and dates
Tàizǔ (太祖)	Zhōngyì Wáng (忠懿王)	Wáng Shěnzhī (王審知)	909–925	Did not exist
Did not exist	Did not exist	Wáng Yánhàn (王延翰)	925–926	Did not exist
Hùizōng (惠宗)	Qísù Míngxiào Huángdì (齊肅明孝皇帝)	Wáng Yànjūn (王延鈞)	926–935	Lóngqǐ (龍啟) 933–935 Yǒnghé (永和) 935
Kāngzōng (康宗)	Too tedious thus not used when referring to this sovereign	Wáng Jìpéng (王繼鵬)	935–939	Tōngwén (通文) 936–939
Jǐngzōng (景宗)	Too tedious thus not used when referring to this sovereign	Wáng Yánxī (王延羲)	939–944	Yǒnglóng (永隆) 939–944
Did not exist	Did not exist	Zhū Wénjìn (朱文進)	944–945	Did not exist
Did not exist	Tiāndé Dì (天德帝) (both as Emperor of Yin and Emperor of Min)	Wáng Yánzhèng (王延政)	943–945	Tiāndé (天德) 943–945

Rulers family tree of Min

Rulers family tree
Wang Nin 王恁 Wang Chao 王潮 b.846-d.898 Wang Shenzhi 王審知 b.862–d.925 Tàizǔ 太祖 r.909－925 Wang Shengui 王審邽 b.858－d.904 Wang Yanhan 王延翰 r.925－926; d.927 Wang Yanjun 王延鈞 d.935 Huìzōng 惠宗 r.927－935 Wang Yanxi 王延羲 d.944 Jǐngzōng (景宗) r.939－944 Wang Yanzheng 王延政 d.951 Tiande (天德帝) r.943－945 Wang Jipeng 王繼鵬 d.939 Kāngzōng (康宗) r.935－939

References

Citations

1. Mair, V. H. (2003). "How to Forget Your Mother Tongue and Remember Your National Language". Quotation translated from Chinese ("東南越蛇穜从虫門聲")

Sources

• Schafer, Edward H. (1954). The Empire of Min. Tuttle. OCLC 845108660.
• Mote, F. W. (1999). Imperial China (900-1800). Harvard Univ. Press. pp. 15–16. ISBN 0674012127.
• Theobald, Ulrich. "Min 閩". Chinese History - The Ten Kingdoms 十國 (902-979). Retrieved 18 May 2005.