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Li Yu

Type Figure Region Asia Time 937–978 Also known as Last Ruler Li、Chongguang、Zhongyin

Li Yu (937–978), the last ruler of Southern Tang, is commonly known as Last Ruler Li. His reign saw the state steadily decline;…

Timeline

  1. 961–975Jinling · JiangsuIn 961 he succeeded his father Li Jing as ruler of Southern Tang, content to hold Jiangnan while neglecting statecraft for arts and letters, as the country's strength gradually waned.
  2. 975–978Kaifeng · HenanAfter Song forces took Jinling in 975 he surrendered and was imprisoned in Kaifeng; his later ci poems are somber and plaintive, weaving his personal fate and the grief of a lost kingdom into verse, reaching a pinnacle in the history of ci.

Sources