Introduction
The Song Dynasty established by Liu Yu and the three successive
dynasties of Southern Qi, Liang and Chen are known as the Southern Dynasties.
They had the same capital location at Jiankang. Liu Yu, later known as
Emperor Wu Di, was the most powerful ruler of the South since the Eastern
Jin period. After he ascended the throne in 424, Emperor Wen Di continued
Liu Yu's policy and focused on stengthening the court, developed the economy
in the Changjiang River valley. It showed relative stability during his
30-year reign.
Inthe early Song period, there were five states in the north, the Western
Liang, Northern Liang, Northern Yan, Western Qin and Xia. In 386, Tuoba
Gui, a member of the Tuoba clan of the Xianbei tribe, set up the state
of Northern Wei. In 399, he proclaimed himself emperor, later known as
Dao Wu Di. In 439, Emperor Tai WuDi of the Northern Wei conquered Northern
Liang and unified the northern that had been divided and ruled by the
Sixteen States.
From 450 to 589, there had undregone considerable turmoil in the struggles
for power.
From the time of Emperor Wen Di of Song, many venerable Buddhist monks
came to China from the west, and Buddhism of various sects flourished
during the Southern and Northern Dynasties.
During the Sixteen States period, the Former Liang and the Northern Liang
were the Buddhist centers in the north. Buddhist monks in the south lumped
Buddhism and Xuan Xue together in their parching. Large numbers of Buddhist
monasteries were built in the north, with over 1,300 in Luoyang alone
and more than 30,000 throughout the domain of the Northern Wei. Yungang,
Longmen and Dunhuang are all world-famous for their engravings. Apparently,
Buddhism was gaining ground both in the south and the north.
The Southern Dynasties laid greater claim to fame in literature and historical
studies than did the Northern Dynasties. In literature, poetry enjoyed
popularity in the south. Xie Lingyun was famous for his nature poems.
Bao Zhao wrote many poems which exerted some influence on the renowned
Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai. Of the literary works of the Northern Dynasties,
the best-known is the Song of Mu Lan.