The Five Dynasties are the collective names of the five dynasties between the Tang and Song Dynasties. Since Zhu Wen usurped the throne to establish Hou Liang in 907, Hou Liang, the later Tang Dynasty, the later Jin Dynasty, the later Han Dynasty and the later Zhou Dynasty have been replaced in turn. 16 years, after the founding of ancestor Zhu Wen, Emperor Li of the later Tang Dynasty conquered Kaifeng, destroyed it and established the later Tang Dynasty. 13 years later, the later Tang Dynasty was destroyed by Shi Jingtang, the founding emperor of the latter Jin Dynasty. 10 years later, the Khitan army went south and wiped out the late Jin Dynasty. At this point, Liu Zhiyuan proclaimed himself in Taiyuan, and established the later Han Dynasty. Three years later, the later Han Dynasty was usurped by Guo Wei, the emperor of the later Zhou Dynasty. 10 years later, the later Zhou Dynasty was usurped by Song Taizu and Zhao Kuangyin, and the Song Dynasty was established. By 960, the Five Dynasties had ended, which lasted for 54 years.

In the past 54 years, in addition to Liang, Tang, Jin, Han and Friday in the Central Plains, more than a dozen separatist regimes, such as Hou Shu, Wu Nantang, wuyue, Min, Chu, Nan Han, Nanping (that is, Jingnan) and Northern Han, appeared successively or simultaneously throughout the country. These regimes are collectively referred to as the "Ten Countries", which is the same as the Five Dynasties. The "Ten Countries" is only a larger one, and there are actually many separatist regimes.

The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms is the continuation of the separatist regime in the middle and late Tang Dynasty. The founding kings of the five dynasties were all former buffer regions, which were developed by military separatism. Therefore, the historical characteristics of this period are frequent wars and frequent regime changes. Most of the founding kings of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms were born in the middle and lower classes of society, which is also a noteworthy feature of this period.

The political power of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms was basically for the sake of the show of counties, because powerful generals often launched mutinies to seize power, such as Li Siyuan, Li Congke, Shi Jingtang, Guo Wei and others all came to power by mutiny. The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms was a period of war. Because there was no stable Central Plains dynasty that overwhelmed the ten countries, the separatist regimes fought endlessly.

China emphasized orthodoxy in ancient times, because the five dynasties were all built in the Central Plains, occupying the central area of the former capital of the Tang Dynasty, and regarded itself as orthodoxy, which was the continuation of the traditional central court at that time. Therefore, feudal historians identified it as the Five Dynasties between Tang and Song Dynasties, and the Ten Kingdoms and their remaining regimes were called separatist forces.