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晉朝 Jin Dynasty ←   ← 265 – 420 →   → The Western Jin Dynasty (yellow) in 280 AD Capital Luoyang (265 –311) Chang'an (312–316) Jiankang (317–420) Language(s) Chinese Religion Buddhism, Daoism, Confucianism, Chinese folk religion Government Monarchy History  - Establishment 265  - Reunification of China under Jin rule 280  - Jin evacuates to region south of the Huai River, Eastern Jin begins 317  - Abdication to Liu Song 420 Currency Chinese coin, Cash

Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove, an Eastern Jin tomb painting from Nanjing, now located in the Shaanxi Provincial Museum.

The Jìn Dynasty (simplified Chinese: 晋朝; traditional Chinese: 晉朝; pinyin: Jìn Cháo; Wade-Giles: Chin⁴-ch'ao²; 265–420), one of the Six Dynasties, followed the Three Kingdoms period and preceded the Southern and Northern Dynasties in China. The dynasty was founded by the Sima family (司馬 pinyin: Sīmǎ). Note that there are four periods of Chinese history using the name "Jin" (see clarification here). At its height the Jin Dynasty had a population of about 20 million people.

History

The first of the two periods, the Western Jìn Dynasty (ch: 西晉, 265–316), was founded by Emperor Wu, better known as Sima Yan. Although providing a brief period of unity after conquering the state of Eastern Wu in 280, the Jìn could not contain the invasion and uprising of nomadic peoples after the devastating War of the Eight Princes. The capital was Luoyang until 311 when Emperor Huai was captured by the forces of Han Zhao. Successive reign of Emperor Min lasted four years in Chang'an until its conquest by Han Zhao in 316.

Meanwhile remnants of the Jìn court fled from the north to the south and reestablished the Jìn court at Jiankang, south-east of Luoyang and Chang'an and near modern-day Nanjing, under Prince of Longya. Prominent local families of Zhu, Gan, Lu, Gu and Zhou supported the proclamation of Prince of Langye as Emperor Yuan of the Eastern Jìn Dynasty (ch: 東晉 317–420) when the news of the fall of Chang'an reached the south. (Because the emperors of the Eastern Jìn Dynasty came from the Langye line, the rival Wu Hu states which did not recognize its legitimacy would at times refer to Jìn as "Langye.")

Militaristic authorities and crises plagued the Eastern Jìn court throughout its 104 years of existence. It survived the rebellions of Wang Dun and Su Jun. Huan Wen died in 373 before he could usurp the throne (which he had intended to do). Battle of Fei turned out to be a victory of Jìn under a short-lived cooperation of Huan Chong, brother of Huan Wen and the Prime Minister (or Imperial Secretariat) Xie An. Huan Xuan, son of Huan Wen, usurped and changed the name of the dynasty to Chu. He was toppled by Liu Yu, who ordered the strangulation of the reinstated but retarded Emperor An. The last emperor and brother of Emperor An, Emperor Gong, was installed in 419. Abdication of Emperor Gong in 420 in favor of Liu Yu, then Emperor Wu, ushered in the Liu Song Dynasty and the Southern Dynasties.

Meanwhile North China was ruled by the Sixteen Kingdoms, many of which were founded by the Wu Hu, the non-Han Chinese ethnicities. The conquest of the Northern Liang by the Northern Wei Dynasty in 439 ushered in the Northern Dynasties.

Jar of the Western Jìn, with Buddhist figures.

Figure

• Sima's family tree of the 'Western Jìn dynasty'

Sovereigns of Jìn Dynasty

History of China
ANCIENT
3 Sovereigns and 5 Emperors
Xia Dynasty 2100–1600 BC
Shang Dynasty 1600–1046 BC
Zhou Dynasty 1122–256 BC
Western Zhou
Eastern Zhou
Spring and Autumn Period
Warring States Period
IMPERIAL
Qin Dynasty 221 BC–206 BC
Han Dynasty 206 BC–220 AD
Western Han
Xin Dynasty
Eastern Han
Three Kingdoms 220–280
Wei, Shu & Wu
Jin Dynasty 265–420
Western Jin	16 Kingdoms 304–439
Eastern Jin
Southern & Northern Dynasties 420–589
Sui Dynasty 581–618
Tang Dynasty 618–907
( Second Zhou 690–705 )
5 Dynasties & 10 Kingdoms 907–960	Liao Dynasty 907–1125
Song Dynasty 960–1279
Northern Song		W. Xia
Southern Song	Jin
Yuan Dynasty 1271–1368
Ming Dynasty 1368–1644
Qing Dynasty 1644–1911
MODERN
Republic of China 1912–1949
People's Republic of China (Mainland China) 1949–present	Republic of China (Taiwan) 1945–present
Related Articles  Dynasties in Chinese History Economic history of China Historiography of China History of Chinese Art History of Education in China History of Science and Technology in China Legal history of China Linguistic history of China Military history of China Naval History of China Timeline of Chinese History Media history of China
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Major events

• War of the Eight Princes
• Wu Hu ravaging
• Battle of Fei
• Butterfly Lovers

See also

• Six dynasties
• Sixteen Kingdoms
• Chinese sovereign
• List of tributaries of Imperial China
• Liu Song Dynasty
• Southern Dynasties
• Northern Wei Dynasty
• Northern Dynasties
• Romance of the Three Kingdoms
• Ge Hong

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Jin Dynasty (265-420)

• Chinese History, the Jin Dynasty 晉
• Largest Jin Dynasty Tomb Discovered in NW China

Wikipedia content modification information:

• This page was last modified on 25 November 2008, at 21:47.

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