Wu Guo Gushi ("Stories of the Five States") is a 10th-century Song dynasty history book, which in 2 chapters describes 5 of the southern states during the chaotic Five Dynasties period (907–960): the Wu, Southern Tang, Later Shu (including information on Former Shu[1]), Southern Han and Min Kingdom, especially their rulers. The author is unknown, but the book is considered unofficial (unlike the imperial court-sanctioned Old History of the Five Dynasties, with which it disagrees at some points). Emphasized in the book are court life, supernatural events and anecdotes.[2]
Despite its unofficial status, the book uses the word "illegitimate" (偽) to describe all 5 states, which fit Song dynasty's official rhetoric that considered only the 5 northern dynasties (Later Liang, Later Tang, Later Jin, Later Han, and Later Zhou) legitimate during this period.[3]
