The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms is a period of political upheaval in China, beginning in the Tang Dynasty and ending in the Song Dynasty.

During this period, five dynasties quickly succeed one another in the North, and more than a dozen independent states are established, mainly in the South.

However, only ten are traditionally listed, hence the era's name, "Ten Kingdoms."

Some historians, such as Bo Yang, count eleven, including Yan and Qi, but not Northern Han, viewing it as simply a continuation of Later Han.