During the decline of the Han dynasty, the State of Wu - a region in the south of Chang Jiang, surrounding Suzhou - was under the control of the warlord Sun Quan. Sun Quan succeeded his brother as Wu Wang (the king of Wu) and considered the area under his rule subject to the Han emperor. Unlike his competitors, he did not really have the ambition to be Emperor of China. However, after Cao Pi of the Kingdom of Wei and Liu Bei of the Kingdom of Shu each declared himself to be the Emperor, Sun Quan decided to follow suit in 222, claiming to have founded the Wu dynasty.
Under the rule of Wu, the Southern China, regarded by the early dynasty "jungle" developed into one of the commercial, culture and political centers of China. However, it is not until half century later, during the Five Dynasties and Ten States that the development of the southern China surpassed that of the north.
During this time, Taiwan island was first recorded. The contact with native population and the sending of officials to the island of Taiwan by the Wu Dynasty paved for the road, leading the official establishment of Taiwan Province in the later dynasties.
The kingdom was conquered by the first Jin emperor, Sima Yan, in 280. With a lifespan of 58 years, it was the longest-lived of the three kingdoms.
Important figures:
| Posthumous Names ( Shi Hao 諡號) | Family (in bold) and first names | Year(s) of Reigns | Era Names (Nian Hao 年號) and their range of years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Convention: use personal name | |||
| Da Di (大帝 da4 di4) | Sun Quan (孫權 sun1 quan2) | 222-252 | Huangwu (黃武 huang2 wu3) 222-229Huanglong (黃龍 huang2 long2) 229-231 |
| Kuai ji wang (會稽王 kuai4 ji1 wang2) | Sun Liang (孫亮 sun1 liang4) | 252-258 | Jianxing (建興 jian4 xing1) 252-253Wufeng (五鳳 wu3 feng4) 254-256 |
| Jing Di (景帝 jing3 di4) | Sun Xiu (孫休 sun1 xiu1) | 258-264 | Yongan (永安 yong3 an1) 258-264 |
| Wu Cheng Hou (烏程侯 wu1 cheng2 hou2) | Sun Hao (孫皓 sun1 hao4) | 264-280 | Yuanxing (元興 yuan2 xing1) 264-265Ganlu (甘露 gan1 lu4) 265-266 |