The Later Han is founded by Liu Zhiyuan. He declares himself emperor and establishes the capital in Bian, present-day Kaifeng.

Liu Zhiyuan (Chinese: ) (March 4, 895 March 10, 948), later changed to Liu Gao (), formally Emperor Gaozu of (Later) Han (()), was the ethnically-Shatuo founder of the Later Han, the fourth of the Five Dynasties in the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period of Chinese history. The subsequent Northern Han is not considered part of its history.

The Later Han (simplified Chinese: 后汉; traditional Chinese: 後漢; pinyin: Hòu Hàn) was founded in 947. It was the fourth of the Five Dynasties in imperial Chinese history, and the third consecutive Shatuo-led Chinese dynasty, however, other sources indicate that the Later Han emperors claimed patrilineal Han ancestry. It was among the shortest-lived of all Chinese regimes, lasting for slightly under four years before it was overcome by a rebellion that resulted in the founding of the Later Zhou.