Unit+II+Module+3+Chinese+Dynasties+Six+Dynasties

​ Six Dynasty Period



**//After the fall of the Han//**, there were a number of competing states, none of which found a successful formula for rule. The north was frequently under the control of non-Chinese peoples, and distinct "northern" and "southern" culture emerged. For educated elites, the traditional career of government service became both more difficult and more dangerous. As a result they often turned to other occupations, such as poetry and philosophical contemplation. New schools of Daoism appeared at this time, based on scriptures said to have been revealed by immortals. Buddhism also began to flourish during this period, as more monks and texts arrived from Central Asia, and larger communities of believers began to form. Several governments in this period patronized Buddhism; for example the caves temples at Longmen and Yungang were an act of piety by Northern Wei (386-534) rulers.

Timeline for Six Dynasty Period For more detailed chronologies, see //Columbia Chronologies of Asian History and Culture// (Columbia, 2000).
 * 220 CE || Cao family declares Wei dynasty in North China; Wei, Shu Han and Wu make up the Three Kingdoms ||
 * 223 CE || Xi Kang, one of the "Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove", born ||
 * 280 - 304 CE || North China briefly unified under Jin dynasty ||
 * 365 - 427 CE || Life of Tao Qian (Tao Yuanming), the most famous poet of the age ||
 * 386 CE || Northern Wei dynasty established; rulers are Tuoba clan of Xianbei ethnicity ||
 * 399 -414 CE || Buddhist monk Faxian makes pilgrimage to India ||
 * 404 CE || The monk Huiyuan argues to the court that monks do not need to bow before rulers ||
 * 577 CE || Northern Zhou dynasty controls all of north China ||