| A universal guide for China studiesChinese History - The Sixteen Kingdoms 五胡十六國 (300~430) |
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The Sixteen Kingdoms |  period before (Jin Dynasty)-- Southern Dynasties -- Northern Wei next period (Sui)  | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |  The Former Qin (Qianqin 前秦) - along with Later Zhao (Houzhao 後趙) - was one of the most active and mighty empires of the Sixteen Kingdoms. The Di 氐 - a people relative to the Tibetians - chieftain Fu Hong 苻洪 (the surname is sometimes falsely written 符), once in the service of Later Zhao, obtained an official post by the Jin Dynasty 晉. When Ran Min 冉閔 took over the power in the Later Zhao kingdom, Fu Hong saw his chance to proclaim himself as area commander-in-chief (da dudu 大都督), Great Chieftain (Da Shanyu 大單于), and King of Sanqin 三秦王 (the area south of modern Shaanxi). His son occupied the capital Chang'an 長安 (modern Xi'an) in the name of the Jin Dynasty. 352, he called himself Emperor of (Former) Qin. The ten years after the throne accession of Fu Jian 苻堅 represent a time of relative inner and outer peace. Until 382, he was able to unify the whole north of China, destroying the kingdoms of Former Yan (Qianyan 前燕), Chouchi 仇池, and Former Liang (Qianliang 前涼). 379 on, Fu Jian made great efforts to conquer more territory the Eastern Jin Dynasty (Dongjin 東晉). At the battle of Feishui 淝水, the army of Former Qin was badly defeated in 383, and the disappointed aristocracy of different ethnicities rose up against the Fu clan. Upon the wastes of Former Qin, Yao Chang 姚萇 founded the Later Qin Dynasty (Houqin 後秦). Fu Jian's policy mainly targeted at the strengthening of the central power that had to triumph over the power of the tribal aristocracy. To ensure the functioning of the administration, he employed trained Chinese officials. A huge resettlement of Chinese and Non-Chinese tribes the east into the region of Chang'an should improve the food and work supply for the capital. The Qin empire is named after the old feudal state of Qin 秦 during the Zhou Dynasty 周.  See also titles of rulers.Note: The rulers of the sideline dynasties are us">Three Kingdoms (Sanguo) 三國, and for one of the Ten States (Shiguo) 十國 of the south after the collapse of Tang 唐. A further state of these ten even combined the name of old Wu and Yue.
Yue was a Non-Chinese state of the southeast that significantly shaped the history of the Spring and Autumn (Chunqiu) 春秋 period. The rulers of Yue are said to be descendants of the mythical Xia 夏 Dynasty with the surname Si 姒 or Yu 芋. Their first ancestor Wuyu 無餘, a son of King Shaokang 少康, was enfeoffed as viscount (zi 子) of Guiji 會稽. Yue often fought in alliances with Chu 楚 against Wu 吳 and finally destroyed Wu. Yue thus occupied the whole southeast of China, the modern provinces Jiangsu and Zhejiang, only to be swallowed by Chu 150 years later. The name of the old state of Yue was many times used for the fiefdoms of imperial princes, and in combination with Wu for one of the Ten States (Shiguo) 十國 of the south after the collapse of Tang 唐.
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