Northern and Southern dynasties

Lore & Background

This period saw large-scale migration of Han Chinese to lands south of the Yangtze, and the sinicization of non-Han ethnicities in the north and indigenous peoples in the south. Technological advances included the earlier development of the stirrup during the Western Jin or possibly the Han dynasty, with its refinement for heavy cavalry occurring during the Sixteen Kingdoms period. Two essential Daoist canons were written during this period. The Northern dynasties included the Northern Wei, Eastern and Western Wei, Northern Qi, and Northern Zhou, with the Northern Qi founded by Gao Yang, who was of mixed Xianbei and Han ancestry, though the ruling Gao family is generally considered to have been sinicized Xianbei or of Xianbei descent, not ethnically Han.

Reader's Guide

The Northern and Southern dynasties represent a pivotal era of fragmentation that nonetheless fostered significant cultural and technological development. The period's political chaos allowed for the spread of Mahayana Buddhism and Taoism, and the sinicization of non-Han peoples reshaped northern society. Technological advances, such as the stirrup, transformed warfare, while intellectuals like Zu Chongzhi advanced mathematics and astronomy. The militarized northern gentry, who built fortified villages, contrasted with their refined southern counterparts, a distinction that persisted into the Sui and Tang dynasties.

Did You Know?

• Two essential Daoist canons were written during this period.