Genealogy of Heroes in Four Hundred Years of Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties

The Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties (220-589) were a period of the most frequent regime changes and drastic changes in social structure in Chinese history, starting from the end of the Han Dynasty and starting from the Sui and Tang Dynasties. Politically, it started with the separation of the Three Kingdoms. After a short period of unification in the Western Jin Dynasty, the north fell into the melee of the "Five Hus and Sixteen Kingdoms", while the south successively replaced the Song, Qi, Liang, and Chen dynasties until the Northern Wei unified the north and split into the Eastern and Western Wei. Finally, the Sui Dynasty ended the troubled times. Ethnically, the northern nomads blended deeply with the Han people in the Central Plains. Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty carried out reforms and implemented Sinicization. At the same time, Chinese civilization also absorbed Hu Feng, laying the foundation for a prosperous age of pluralism and unity. In society, the noble families are at their peak, and the nine-rank system solidifies the hierarchy. "There are no poor families in the upper class, and there are no powerful families in the lower class." But the culture is extremely bright: metaphysics has risen, Buddhism has been localized and widely spread, Jian'an style and pastoral poetry have appeared in literature; in art, the Dunhuang and Yungang Grottoes have been excavated, and Wang Xizhi's calligraphy and Gu Kaizhi's paintings have been praised for eternity. Economically, the northern manor economy coexisted with the initial development in the south, where new systems such as the equalization of land sprouted. Although these four hundred years were full of turbulence, they were a critical transition period for the great integration of the Chinese nation and the great development of culture, accumulating great strength for the glorious unification of the Sui and Tang Dynasties.