Southern and Northern Dynasties
This article is about the Southern and Northern Dynasties in China. For the same-name period in other countries, see Nanboku-cho for Japan and Southern and Northern Dynasties of Vietnam.The
Southern and Northern Dynasties (;
420-
589) followed the
Sixteen Kingdoms and preceded
Sui Dynasty in
China and was an age of
civil war and disunity.
During this period the process of
sinicization accelerated among the non-Chinese arrivals in the north and among the aboriginal tribesmen in the south. Many northern Chinese also immigrated to the south. This process was also accompanied by the increasing popularity of
Buddhism (introduced into China in the first century A.D.) in both north and
south China.
The south and north developed into a relatively stable equilibrium, due to geographical differences. The flat steppes of the north gave a significant edge to cavalry, while the riverlands of the south gave a significant edge to naval warfare. A strong navy on the
Yangtze River could protect the south from the north, since cavalry was useless in the riverlands. Likewise, logistical difficulties for the horse-poor south made it difficult to maintain a successful northern campaign. Depending on the relative strengths of the states, the
Huai River area and the
Sichuan basin were the primary areas of significant territorial changes. This barrier was only overcome by the first
Emperor of the
Sui Dynasty, who built a large invading navy in the Sichuan basin.
Despite (or perhaps because of) the political disunity of the times, there were notable technological advances. The invention of
gunpowder (at that time for use only in fireworks) and the
wheelbarrow is believed to date from the sixth or seventh century. Advances in
medicine,
astronomy, and
cartography are also noted by historians.
* Graff, David A., Medieval Chinese Warfare, 300-900. ISBN 0415239540
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Southern dynasties*
Northern dynasties*
Chinese sovereign*
Avars*
Buddhism*
Buddhism in China
