The Taihe era of Northern Wei (477–499 CE) was a consequential twenty years in the long course of Chinese history. After the Five Barbarians ravaged the Central Plains, the north lay in ruins. The enlightened Empress Dowager Feng and Emperor Xiaowen, Tuoba Hong, introduced the equal-field system, the household registration system, the Three Elders system, and a new tax system, restoring order to a shattered land. Emperor Xiaowen overcame fierce opposition and moved the capital to Luoyang. He replaced the Hu clothing, banned the northern languages, changed surnames to Han Chinese ones, honored Confucius, revived the rites of the Zhou dynasty, and established the Imperial Academy... As emperor, he took on the millennium-long mission of bringing the Hu and Han peoples together. They broke down ethnic barriers and healed the wounds of war. Their sweeping Taihe Reforms laid the foundation for the Sui and Tang reunification and opened a grand new chapter in the integration of many peoples. At court, ruler and ministers worked in harmony, leaving behind countless celebrated stories; in the annals of history, the flame of reform illuminated the ages to come.
Yet amid this great tide of reform, one emperor's ambition and deep affection would ultimately give rise to an age-old regret.
Theme: To be announced.
