This book offers an engaging introduction to the history of the Wei and Jin periods, outlining their historical course in clear, concise prose. The Wei and Jin era was a time when striving and decline intertwined, and ideals and disillusionment alternated in cycles. On the one hand, warfare raged without end: first came the Three Kingdoms, then their unification under the Jin, followed by the Rebellion of the Eight Princes, the emergence of the Sixteen Kingdoms in the north, and the founding of the Eastern Jin in the south. Amid this turbulent age of constant war, countless heroes each held the stage for decades. On the other hand, great clans dominated politics. Their extravagant, corrupt lifestyles severely squeezed the survival space of people from humble families and blocked ordinary people from rising through society. Yet they also sparked a vogue for metaphysics and philosophical conversation. Celebrated scholars emerged in droves, giving rise to the free-spirited, self-affirming style of the Wei and Jin.
This book belongs to the same series as the forthcoming Tales of the Pre-Qin Era, Qin Strategies: From Horse Herder to First Emperor, and Han Legends: From Chivalrous Wanderer to Captive Ruler. The series aims to make learning about history easy and enjoyable, while offering food for thought.
