As we begin Part 10 of this Pangu to Puyi series, the Tang Dynasty is gone, China is divided, and another age of warlords is underway. Out of the turmoil, the Song will build a dynasty celebrated for its scholarship, prosperity, and cultural brilliance—but political peace will prove harder to achieve. In Part 10 we'll look at the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms 五代十国, the rise of the Khitan Liao, and Zhao Kuangyin’s founding of the Song in 960. As China puts itself back together, powerful neighbors and the contested Sixteen Prefectures shape the new dynasty’s choices between war and diplomacy. Then we enter the world of the Northern Song’s scholar-officials, where literary greatness and political danger often go hand in hand. From Fan Zhongyan 范仲淹 and Ouyang Xiu 欧阳修 to Wang Anshi’s 王安石 sweeping reforms and the fierce opposition they provoke, the debate over how to govern China takes center stage. We close with the remarkable Su Dongpo 苏东坡—poet, statesman, artist, and food lover—whose years of exile helped inspire some of Chinese literature’s most enduring works. A long list of characters from this episode. Here's the Chinese names: Zhū Wēn 朱温 / Zhū Quánzhōng 朱全忠, Lǐ Cúnxù 李存勖, Zhū Yǒuguī 朱友珪, Zhū Zhèn 朱瑱 / Emperor Mò 后梁末帝, Yēlǜ Ābǎojī 耶律阿保机 / Emperor Tàizǔ 辽太祖, Prince Bèi 耶律倍, Yáo Kūn 姚坤, Lǐ Sìyuán 李嗣源, Empress Yìngtiān 应天皇后, Yēlǜ Déguāng 耶律德光, Shí Jìngtáng 石敬瑭, Liú Yǐn 刘隐, Liú Yǎn 刘䶮 / Southern Han Emperor Gāozǔ 南汉高祖, Ngô Quyền 吴权, Liú Cháng 刘鋹, Lǐ Cóngkē 李从珂, Lǐ Yù 李煜, Shí Chóngguì 石重贵, Liú Zhīyuǎn 刘知远, Qián Liú 钱镠, Guō Wēi, 郭威 / Later Zhou Emperor Tàizǔ 后周太祖, Chái Róng 柴荣 / Guō Róng 郭荣 / Emperor Shìzōng 北周世宗, Gāo Cónghuì 高从诲, Zhào Kuāngyìn 赵匡胤 / Sòng Tàizǔ 宋太祖, Zhào Kuāngyì 赵匡义 / Zhào Guāngyì 赵光义, Sòng Tàizōng 宋太宗, Zhēnzōng Emperor 宋真宗, Liǔ Yǒng 柳永, Lǐ Chéng 李成, Fàn Zhòngyān 范仲淹, Ōuyáng Xiū 欧阳修, Zhāng Héng 张衡, Wáng Chōng 王充, Zǔ Chōngzhī 祖冲之, Yī Xíng 一行, Lǐ Chúnfēng 李淳风, Zhào Zhēn 赵祯 / Emperor Rénzōng 宋仁宗, Wáng Ānshí 王安石, Liú É 刘娥 / Empress Dowager Liú 刘太后, Lǐ Yuánhào 李元昊 / Wéimíng Yuánhào 嵬名元昊 / Emperor Jǐngzōng 西夏景宗, Lǐ Démíng 李德明, Lǐ Jìqiān 李继迁, Sū Xún 苏洵, Sū Shì 苏轼 / Sū Dōngpō 苏东坡, Sū Zhé 苏辙, Sīmǎ Guāng 司马光, Zhōu Dūnyí 周敦颐, Shěn Kuò 沈括, Liǔ Zōngyuán 柳宗元, Zēng Gǒng 曾鞏, Rùnzhī 王润之, Chéng Yí 程颐, Chéng Hào 程颢, Emperor Shénzōng 宋神宗, Huáng Tíngjiān 黄庭坚, Mǐ Fú 米芾, Cài Xiāng 蔡襄, Wáng Xīzhī 王羲之, Yán Zhēnqīng 颜真卿, Ní Zàn 倪瓒, Xú Wèi 徐渭, Yuán Méi 袁枚, Empress Dowager Gāo 高太后, Wáng Fú 王弗, Wáng Zhāoyún 王朝云, Cài Jīng 蔡京, Cài Tāo 蔡絛,
