The Tang Dynasty (Chinese: 唐朝; Pinyin: Táng Cháo) (18 June 618 – 4 June 907) was an imperial dynasty of China. It came after the Sui Dynasty and was followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li (李) family, who came to power during the fall of the Sui Empire. The dynasty was interrupted for a short time by the Zhou Dynasty (周) (16 October 690 – 3 March 705) founded by Empress Wu Zetian who managed to claim the throne, becoming the first and only Chinese Empress.