Northern Wei dynasty in the context of "Old City of Luoyang"

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⭐ Core Definition: Northern Wei dynasty

34°16′00″N 108°54′00″E / 34.2667°N 108.9000°E / 34.2667; 108.9000

Wei (/weɪ/), known in historiography as the Northern Wei (Chinese: 北魏; pinyin: Běi Wèi), Tuoba Wei (Chinese: 拓跋魏; pinyin: Tuòbá Wèi), Yuan Wei (Chinese: 元魏; pinyin: Yuán Wèi) and Later Wei (Chinese: 後魏; pinyin: Hòu Wèi), was an imperial dynasty of China ruled by the Tuoba (Tabgach) clan of the Xianbei. The first of the Northern dynasties, it ruled northern China from 386 to 535 during the period of the Northern and Southern dynasties. Described as "part of an era of political turbulence and intense social and cultural change", the Northern Wei dynasty is particularly noted for unifying northern China in 439, bringing an end to the chaotic Sixteen Kingdoms period, and strengthening imperial control over the rural landscape via reforms in 485. This was also a period of introduced foreign ideas, such as Buddhism, which became firmly established. The Northern Wei was referred to as "Plaited Barbarians" (索虜; suǒlǔ) by writers of the Southern dynasties, who considered themselves the true upholders of Chinese culture.

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👉 Northern Wei dynasty in the context of Old City of Luoyang

34°43′43″N 112°37′21″E / 34.72861°N 112.62250°E / 34.72861; 112.62250

The Old City of Luoyang is a site located 15 kilometers east of the urban area of modern Luoyang. It was the capital of the Northern Wei dynasty. Emperor Yang of Sui rebuilt the city in 605. The Old City was listed as major cultural heritage sites under national-level protection in 1961, and as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site in 2014, as one part of the larger Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor designation.

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Northern Wei dynasty in the context of Dougong

Dougong (Chinese: 斗拱; pinyin: dǒugǒng; lit. 'cap [and] block') is a structural element of interlocking wooden brackets, important in traditional Chinese architecture for both its structural capacities and cultural implications.

The use of dougong first appeared in buildings of the late centuries BCE, with its earliest renditions emerging during the Western Zhou Dynasty, evolving over the centuries into a structural network which joined pillars and columns to the frame of the roof. Dougong were widely used by the ancient Chinese during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BCE) and developed into a complex set of interlocking parts by its peak in the Tang and Song periods. The pieces are fitted together by joinery alone without glue or fasteners, requiring precise carpentry.

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Chinese language → Pinyin → Traditional Chinese characters → Dynasties of China → Tuoba → Xianbei → Northern and Southern dynasties → Northern and Southern dynasties → Sixteen Kingdoms → Buddhism → Northern and Southern dynasties →