Fifty Years of the Western Jin Dynasty

The turmoil at the end of the Han Dynasty was the result of diverging social and political needs and intensifying conflicts. The Western Jin Dynasty was able to establish its rule and advance unification because it had a distinctive ability to accommodate social needs and balance social conflicts. Its failure to endure after founding the dynasty, however, reflected the limitations and failings of its ruling class. All of this is condensed into the Western Jin's "life span" of half a century, making this short-lived dynasty an excellent System for examining success and failure, rise and fall. Set against the broader historical transition from the Han to the Jin, this book focuses on the causes and consequences of the various political phenomena of the Western Jin period, aiming to provide a systematic, comprehensive interpretation and understanding of this extraordinary era.