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Great Wall Information

Home / Dynasties / Division and Reunion / Northern and Southern Dynasties

Northern and Southern Dynasties南北朝

420 – 589

A long split between steppe-ruled north and refugee court south; Buddhism took root.

Culture & Ideas

The Cave Temples at Dunhuang 4th century onward Buddhist shrines carved into a desert cliff became one of the world's great repositories of art.

Contemporary regimes

States that existed at the same time as the Northern and Southern Dynasties, in whole or in part.

Sixteen Kingdoms十六国 304 – 439 Shared years: 420 – 439 Sui Dynasty隋朝 581 – 618 Shared years: 581 – 589