A leader of the Southern Xiongnu, Liu Yuan was a highly educated figure who mastered Chinese classics and military strategy. Claiming legitimacy through the ancient kinship treaties between the Han dynasty and the Xiongnu, he declared himself the rightful successor to the Han and founded the state of Han Zhao.
Taking advantage of the chaos caused by the internal struggles of the Jin imperial family during the War of the Eight Princes, he raised the banner of independence in northern China. His rise marked the beginning of the Sixteen Kingdoms period, where various nomadic tribes established independent states across the Chinese heartland.