The Jin dynasty is also divided into the western and eastern Jin dynasty.

The western Jin dynasty lasted from 265 to 316 n. Chr, starting from 280 n Chr., the unity of China was restored for a short time.The eastern Jin dynasty lasted from 316 to 420 n Chr.

Rise of the western Jin dynasty and unification of China

The Jin dynasty was the successor of the Wei dynasty, one of the three realms and was founded by Sima Yan in the year 265 in the city of Luoyang. The Jin managed to conquer the state Wu and unified China.

Collapse of the Jin rule: the eastern Jin dynasty and the Hun empire to the north

In 285, the first revolts broke out in the vicinity of the Yangtze River; the feudal lords had waited for a weak link in the house of the emperor un order to enlarge their power and steal authority in China. This included inroads into the northern border areas. In Szechuan, an independent kingdom sprang up in 304; the Huns erected an independent empire in Shaanxi. In 311 C.E., the capital Luoyang was conquered by Hun mercenaries, the emperor was killed, the city destroyed.

In 316, the city Chang’an fell victim to the Huns. This marked the end of the western Jin dynasty. The ruling family had to flee to the south, as did many of the dynasty’s civil servants, together establishing a new dominion under Sima Rui (posthumous device yuan-di, “original emperor”). The north of China was dominated by many rivals; constant warring between the extant northern states led to an exodus toward the south. Attempts by the barbarians to press on to the south and bring all of China under their control failed. The eastern Jin dynasty survived until 420 C.E., when Nanjing was conquered by Liu Yu, who founded his own dynasty there. The following years were shaped by many empires that struggled amongst themselves for dominion in Jin.