Languages Middle Chinese 909-928 Gao Jixing 948-960 Gao Baorong Capital Jiangling County | Government Monarchy 928-948 Gao Conghui 960-962 Gao Baoxu | |
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Jingnan (simplified Chinese: 荆南; traditional Chinese: 荊南; pinyin: Jīngnán) (also called Nanping (南平)) was one of the Ten Kingdoms in south-central China created in 924, marking the beginning of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period (907-960).
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Founding
Gao Jichang, also known as Gao Jixing (高季興), was appointed the regional military governor of Jiangling in 907 by the Later Liang, which took over northern China in the wake of the Tang Dynasty. He declared the foundation of the Kingdom of Jingnan (or Nanping) in 924 after the Later Liang fell to the Later Tang.
Territorial Extent
Jingnan was the smallest of the longer-lived southern kingdoms. Its capital was Jiangling, and in addition to the capital, it held two neighboring districts on the Yangtze River southwest of present-day Wuhan. In addition to bordering the succession of five dynasties beginning with the Later Tang, it also shared borders with the Chu kingdom to the south, though that was replaced by the Southern Tang when it absorbed the kingdom in 951. It was also bordered by the Later Shu on the west after it was formed in 934.
Importance
Jingnan was a small and weak state, and in many ways was vulnerable to its larger, more powerful neighbors. As such, the court placed great importance in maintaining proper relations with the succession of dynasties that ruled northern China. However, because of its location, Jingnan was a central hub in trade, a feature that protected it from invasion.
Fall of the Kingdom
The Song Dynasty was formed in 960, ending the Five Dynasties period in the north, and though that is the date traditionally used to denote the end of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, many kingdoms in the south maintained their independence for nearly two decades after the rise of the Song Dynasty. However, due to its size and location, Jingnan was the first of the kingdoms to succumb to the Song Dynasty, surrendering when armies from the north invaded in 963, ending the kingdom.