AHistoryIndependent states
The Hun States in China (304-431)
Two states founded in northern China by the Southern Huns: Liu Yuan's Han-Zhao and Helian Bobo's Xia.
A note on origin: whether the Huns (Xiongnu) spoke a Turkic language is still debated, while Turkish historiography counts them among the ancestors of the Turks. In 48 AD the Hun state split into northern and southern branches. The Southern Huns moved to the Chinese frontier, and in 216 Cao Cao divided them into five divisions and settled them in today's Shanxi.
In 304 Liu Yuan, a descendant of the Hun chanyus, declared himself ruler and founded the state of Han. His successors took Luoyang in 311 and Chang'an in 316, ending the Western Jin dynasty. In 319 Liu Yao renamed the state Zhao and traced his line directly to Modu Chanyu. Han-Zhao fell in 329.
In 407 Helian Bobo of the Tiefu branch of the Huns founded the Xia state in the Ordos. His capital, Tongwan, meant "the city that rules ten thousand" and was famous for its white walls. Xia fell in 431, but the ruins of Tongwan still stand in Shaanxi.
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Updated: November 11, 2026