So That's How the Northern and Southern Dynasties Were

Heroes rise across the land, society falls into turmoil, remarkable talents emerge, oddballs abound, peoples merge, and cultures collide...

The Northern and Southern Dynasties were a chaotic age of great destruction, but also a flourishing era of integration. They were a blood-soaked period of division that lasted two centuries, as well as a brilliant age in which heroes rose one after another, each taking their turn on history's stage. This book tells of the rise, decline, and extinction of the Tuoba Xianbei, a people of the grasslands; the twisted nature of Southern Dynasties emperors, generation after generation brought down by power; the difficult struggles and disappointments of Gao Huan, a low-ranking soldier stationed on the frontier; the misty rain and tender romance of Jiangnan, and the tragic deaths of those who lost themselves in its gentle embrace. Above all, it tells of one people’s struggle, confusion, and transformation. This is a mournful yet stirring anthem from a pivotal period in the formation of the Chinese nation, one every Chinese person should revisit and remember.