a dynasty and state in southern China from 502 to 557, founded by Hsiao Yen, ruler of the Yungchou region, whose capital was Chienk’ang (Nanking). During this period the spread of Buddhism was supported by the state. In 548 the general Hou Ching led a revolt against the Liang dynasty that precipitated an internecine war for power. In 557 the throne was seized by Ch’en Pa-hsien, a man of impoverished noble origin, who had taken part in the rout of Hou Ching and the suppression of the peasant revolt in Kuangchou. He founded the new Ch’en dynasty and state.

(tael), a weight and currency unit of China. As a unit of weight, the Hang emerged in the third century B.Cl Beginning in the fifth and sixth centuries A.D., it was used mainly in weighing silver and gold. When silver was used as currency in China (14th-19th centuries), the Hang became the official monetary unit; it was divided into 10 mao and feng. Depending on the area of circulation and the specific purpose, there were 170 types of Hang, with varying silver contents. In March 1933 a law was passed on unification of the monetary system, and the Hang was abolished as a monetary unit. It is used in the People’s Republic of China as a unit of weight (31.2 g).