(AD 220–589) In China, the period between the end of the Han dynasty and the foundation of the
The name is derived from the six successive dynasties that had their capital at Nanjing : the Wu (222–280), the Eastern {{link=Jin dynasty">Jin (317–420), the Liusong (420–479), the Southern Qi (479–502), the Southern Liang (502–557), and the Southern Chen (557–589). During this period northern China was ruled by a succession of kingdoms established by Central Asian invaders. Important among these were the Northern Wei , Eastern Wei, Western Wei, Northern Qi, and Northern Zhou. Despite the chaos of the age, great advances were made in medicine, astronomy, botany, and chemistry. Buddhism and Daoism became great popular religions, and the translation of Buddhist texts focused Chinese attention on literature and calligraphy. Architecture and the visual arts also bloomed during the period.