A New Exploration of the Power Succession in the Sixteen Kingdoms and Northern Dynasties

The Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties were the period of most frequent regime changes in Chinese history, and also the period of the most dramatic changes in ethnic relations. The importance of this period in Chinese history and in the formation of China's multi-ethnic country does not need to be demonstrated. For a long time, the history of the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties has not only been the focus of academic research, but also has produced numerous achievements, accumulated profound knowledge, and reached the ultimate level. For this reason, Yang Xueyue chose ethnic issues in the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties for research, which required sufficient academic courage and faced great academic challenges. The first is the material issue. Materials are the carrier of history and the starting point of historical research. Without materials, there is no existence of history. Yang Xueyue's book "A New Exploration on the Transmutation of Power in the Sixteen Kingdoms and Northern Dynasties" mainly contains three types of materials. The first is ancient books and documents; the second is the research results of Chinese and foreign scholars; the third is other materials, which are complex in content and difficult to select. Gong Zizhen's "Zunshi" said: "Those who are not good at entry are not true records." "Who is good at entry? Everyone knows the situation of the world's mountains and rivers, the people's atmosphere, the suitable soil, and the noble surname. The ancestors of the country have ordered to arrest the officials. Everyone knows what he is guarding. He is as good at talking about etiquette, military affairs, politics, prisons, anecdotes, literary styles, and whether people are worthy as he is about family affairs. "This is the ability of historians to master materials. The so-called good history must be "good at entering". Those who are not "good at entering" are not good histories. Looking through the manuscript, it can be seen that Yang Xueyue not only invested a lot of time and energy in the collection of materials, but also achieved "his speech on etiquette, military affairs, politics, prisons, anecdotes, literary styles, and whether people are good or bad, such as "The outstanding people are singing, dancing and singing in the hall, filled with sorrow and joy, while the spectators in the hall are sitting solemnly, gazing and pointing." He also showed good professional training and skillful application ability in the identification and interpretation of materials. Second is the theoretical issue. Since the advent of new historiography in modern times, history has ceased to be a study of memorization and has become a study of interpretation. When historians study history, only by pointing out the secrets and laws of change in the ever-changing historical events can they develop accurate and highly emotional theories. Because of this, the level of theoretical accomplishment often becomes an important criterion for evaluating the level of historians. The title of Yang Xueyue's book is "New Exploration", which reflects the author's attempt to provide his own theoretical explanation for the research issues. Doing so faces many difficulties and huge risks. The difficulty mainly comes from the requirement for the author's theoretical cultivation, while the risk comes from whether the author's explanation can be justified. Today, looking back at the six-year writing process, the author has shown great courage to explore theoretical issues throughout. This not only adds a strong theoretical color to the manuscript, but also makes the theoretical system he constructs more mature and profound through such pursuit. The book "A New Exploration on the Transgeneration of Power in the Sixteen Kingdoms and Northern Dynasties" boldly uses theories or methods such as history, sociology, politics, anthropology, geography, demography and other theories or methods to sort out and explore the trajectory of the "Five Hu" activities in the north before the 6th century, and firmly grasp the nomads. It discusses the evolution of the "Five Barbarians" in the grassland areas, their inward migration, and the establishment of national political power in the Central Plains. It also reveals the microscopic details of the nomadic society from tribal tribes to tribal alliances, nomadic regimes, and even the establishment of political power in the Central Plains.