Then Kao Tsu arose, and the House of Han was established. When we come to the reign of Hsiao P'ing, Wang Mang usurped the throne. Then Kuang Wu arose, and founded the Eastern Han dynasty. It lasted four hundred years, and ended with the Emperor Hsien. Wei, Shu, and Wu, fought for the sovereignty of the Hans. They were called the Three Kingdoms, and existed until the Two Chin dynasties. Then followed the Sung and the Ch'i dynasties, and after them the Liang and Ch'ên dynasties. These are the southern dynasties, with their capital at Nanking. The northern dynasties are the Wei dynasty of the Yüan family which split into Eastern and Western Wei, the Chou dynasty of the Yü-wên family, with the Ch'i dynasty of the Kao family. At length, under the Sui dynasty, the empire was united under one ruler. The throne was not transmitted twice, succession to power being lost. The first Emperor of the T'ang dynasty raised volunteer troops. He put an end to the disorder of the House of Sui, and established the foundations of his line. Twenty times the throne was transmitted in a period of three hundred years. The Liang State destroyed it, and the dynastic title was changed. The Liang, the T'ang, the Chin, the Han, and the Chou, are called the Five Dynasties, and there was a reason for the establishment of each. Then the fire-led House of Sung arose, and received the resignation of the House of Chou. Eighteen times the throne was transmitted, and then the north and the south were reunited. The Seventeen Dynastic Histories are all embraced in the above. They contain examples of good and bad government, whence may be learnt the principles of prosperity and decay. Ye who read history must study the State Annals, whereby you will understand ancient and modern events, as though having seen them with your own eyes.