Northern Dynasties in the context of Jicheng (Beijing)

⭐ Core Definition: Northern Dynasties

The Northern and Southern dynasties (Chinese: 南北朝; pinyin: Nán běi cháo) was a period of political division in the history of China that lasted from 420 to 589, following the tumultuous era of the Sixteen Kingdoms and the Eastern Jin dynasty. It is sometimes considered to be the latter part of a longer period known as the Six Dynasties (220–589). The period featured civil war and political chaos. However, it was also a time of flourishing arts and culture, advancement in technology, and the spread of Mahayana Buddhism and Taoism. The period saw large-scale migration of Han Chinese people to lands south of the Yangtze. It came to an end with the unification of China proper by Emperor Wen of the Sui dynasty in 589.

During this period, the process of sinicization accelerated among the non-Han ethnicities in the north and the indigenous peoples in the south. This process was also accompanied by the increasing popularity of Buddhism in both northern and southern China. Daoism gained influence as well, with two essential Daoist canons written during this period. Additionally, many notable technological advances occurred during this period. The invention of the stirrup during the earlier Jin dynasty (266–420) helped spur the development of heavy cavalry as a combat standard. Historians also note advances in medicine, astronomy, mathematics, and cartography. Intellectuals of the period include the mathematician and astronomer Zu Chongzhi (429–500), and astronomer Tao Hongjing (456–536).

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Northern Dynasties in the context of Fanyang

Jicheng, less commonly called Ji and Yanjing, was an ancient city in northern China, which has become the longest continuously inhabited section of modern Beijing. It has been known by numerous other names over its long history, usually in reference to the changing territories it presided over. Historical mention of Ji dates to the founding of the Zhou dynasty in about 1045 BC. Archaeological finds in southwestern Beijing where Ji was believed to be located date to the Spring and Autumn period (771–476 BC). The city of Ji served as the capital of the ancient states of Ji and Yan until the unification of China by the Qin dynasty in 221 BC. Thereafter, the city was a prefectural capital for Youzhou through the Han dynasty, Three Kingdoms, Western Jin dynasty, Sixteen Kingdoms, Northern Dynasties, and Sui dynasty. With the creation of a Ji Prefecture in present-day Tianjin during the Tang dynasty, the city of Ji became more exclusively referenced as Youzhou or by its subsequent renamings including Yanjing. Youzhou was one of the Sixteen Prefectures ceded to the Khitans during the Five Dynasties. The city then became the southern capital of the Liao dynasty and then the main capital of the Jurchen Jin dynasty. In the 13th century, Kublai Khan built a new capital city for the Yuan dynasty adjacent to Ji to the north. The old city of Ji became a suburb to Khanbaliq/Dadu, whose site was developed under the Ming and Qing dynasties into modern Beijing.

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