4 The Six Dynasties
The Six Dynasties period, running from the fall of the Han dynasty to
rise of the Sui ( 589 – 618 ) and Tang dynasties ( 618 – 907 ), was marked by
political division within the territory of the former Han empire. It has also
been called the“Wei-Jin and Northern and Southern Dynasties period,”in
recognition of the separate governments in northern and southern China,
or even simply the“Period of Disunion”or“Period of Division.”^1 Both
traditional and contemporary Chinese historians portray this period of
division as an anomalous and unnatural detour from China’s fundamental
geopolitical unity rather than a centuries-long struggle to establish the
Qin-Han political unity as a Chinese cultural norm. The Six Dynasties
was particularly colored by the extensive involvement of non-Chinese
forces from the northern steppes in the military, politics, and culture of
the formerly Han empire’s territories, mostly in north China. At various
times during this period, non-Chinese ruled and immigrated into north
China. Society and culture were the product of centuries of cultural inter-
mixing between Chinese and various steppe practices. This was true of
martial arts as well.
Steppe influence grew markedly in China in the later part of the Han
dynasty. Tribal leaders and their cohorts of cavalrymen were regularly
recruited as a group into Han armies tofight other steppe groups. Over
time, steppe leaders and their forces were drawn into regional power
struggles within the Han dynasty as well. Tribal leaders then shifted
from working as mercenary commanders to having direct participation
in the struggle for power. Steppe martial arts andfighting techniques
responded to the preexisting Chinese martial arts, and Chinese martial
arts responded to steppe martial arts as the respective sides interacted.^2
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