Shu or
Shu Han (221–263) was one of the three major states that competed for supremacy over China in the
Three Kingdoms period (220–280). The state was based in the area around present-day
Sichuan and
Chongqing, which was historically known as "Shu" after an earlier state in Sichuan named
Shu. The "Shu" in "Shu Han" was derived from the state's geographical location. "Han", on the other hand, refers to the
Han dynasty because Shu Han's founder,
Liu Bei, was directly related to the imperial clan of the Han dynasty, and had declared the state of Shu Han as the legitimate successor to the Han dynasty.