Northern Dynasties - (386 - 581)

The principal invaders in the north were people known as the Xianbei, nomadic proto-Mongols, who established states in Gansu in the west and Hebei and Shandong in the east. The most notable of these northern tribes was the Toba (Tuoba) Turks who set up the Northern Wei dynasty with its capital first at Datong in northern Shanxi and later in Luoyang, the former capital of the Later Han. These barbarian peoples assimilated the local Chinese customs and distributed land to the peasants. The central administration was strengthened.

However, some of the aristocracy of the Northern Wei balked at assuming Chinese customs, cluding Chinese names and longed for the Tuoba customs with which they were more comfortable. This led to a split in the Wei Dynasty between the Western Wei who wanted a restoration of the Tuoba customs and the Eastern Wei who favored integration with the Chinese. The Eastern Wei were followed by the Northern Qi dynasty while the Western Wei was followed by the Northern Zhou founded by Yuwen Jue, son of a Xianbei general. The Northern Zhou conquered the Northern Qi and controlled the entire Yellow River basin.

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