Six Dynasties

Six Dynasties, period of Chinese history between the fall of the Han dynasty (A.D. 220) and the unification of China under the Sui dynasty (A.D. 589). It is named for the six successive dynasties that appeared in S China during the period: the Wu (222–80), the Eastern Ch'in (317–419), the Liu-Sung (420–79), the Southern Ch'i (479–502), the Liang (502–57), and the Ch'en (557–89). Although a time of severe political disunion, the period of the Six Dynasties was marked by much originality in art, literature, and thought.

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Six Dynasties

(AD 220–589) In China, the period between the end of the Han dynasty and the foundation of the Sui. The name is derived from the six successive dynasties that had their capital at Nanjing: the Wu (222–280), the Eastern Jin (317–420), the Liusong (420–479), the Southern Qi (479–502), the Southern Liang (502–557), and the Southern Chen (557–589). During this period northern China was ruled by a succession of kingdoms established by Central Asian invaders. Important among these were the Northern Wei, Eastern Wei, Western Wei, Northern Qi, and Northern Zhou. Despite the chaos of the age, great advances were made in medicine, astronomy, botany, and chemistry. Buddhism and Daoism became great popular religions, and the translation of Buddhist texts focused Chinese attention on literature and calligraphy. Architecture and the visual arts also bloomed during the period.