While the north of China was dominated by the insurgence of semi-nomadic peoples from the steppe regions, the south was ruled by a series of short military dictatorships. The Song dynasty was founded in 960 by Zhao Kuangyin, a military commander of the later Zhou (951-960), whose imperial name became Shizong. In the Yangtze delta and regions to the south, the Ten Kingdoms existed in relative peace and stability and were reunited by the Song in 979.