Jin dynasty, or Chin dynasty, Period of Chinese history (ad 265–420) following the Three Kingdoms (Sanguo) and preceding the Southern Dynasties (Nanchao) periods. It is the first of two major Chinese dynastic periods to bear that name, the other Jin (or Juchen) dynasty ruling in 1115–1234. The dynasty had two distinct phases: the Western (Xi) Jin (265–317) and the Eastern (Dong) Jin (317–420). The latter is considered one of the Six Dynasties that ruled China between the fall of the Han (220) and the establishment of the Sui (581). China was reunited under Sima Yan (Ssu-ma Yen), first of the Jin emperors, but after his death the empire rapidly crumbled. The Xiongnu nomads of the north overran the Jin capital of Luoyang and later defeated the Jin again at Chang’an. For the next two centuries China was divided into two societies, northern (plagued by barbarian invasions) and southern. The Eastern Jin, founded by another Sima prince at Nanjing, suffered revolts, court intrigues, and frontier wars but also saw the flourishing of Buddhism in China and the birth of China’s first great painter, Gu Kaizhi (344–406?).
Jin dynasty Article
Jin dynasty summary
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.
Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Below is the article summary. For the full article, see Jin dynasty.
government Summary
Government, the political system by which a country or community is administered and regulated. Most of the key words commonly used to describe governments—words such as monarchy, oligarchy, and democracy—are of Greek or Roman origin. They have been current for more than 2,000 years and have not
China Summary
China, country of East Asia. It is the largest of all Asian countries. Occupying nearly the entire East Asian landmass, it covers approximately one-fourteenth of the land area of Earth, and it is almost as large as the whole of Europe. China is also one of the most populous countries in the world,