Hou Jing was a general of the Northern Wei, Eastern Wei and Liang dynasties and briefly – after controlling the Liang imperial regime for several years – he usurped the throne, establishing the state of Han for five months. This made him a military general, monarch and politician.

In the beginning, both Hou Jing and Gao Huan served as soldiers in Huaishuo town (Guyang county). So when Gao Huan defeated the Erzhu family – and Hou Jing was the general of the Erzhu family at that time – he took refuge with Gao Huan and soon gained the latter's trust. Gao made him governor of Ji province, roughly modern Liaocheng and Shandong.

Later, he led his troops to surrender to Lian and the king of Liang made him the king of the Henan and the top general. Subsequently, he gradually took control of Liang's regime and initiated the "Hou Jing Rebellion". In 552, Hou Jing was defeated by Chen Baxian and Wang Sengbian. When he tried to escape, his subordinates had him killed.