Emperor AnSima Dezong

During the reign · 396—418

1. 396

   PoliticsThe Foolish Lord ascends the throne

   Emperor Xiaowu collapsed, Crown Prince Sima Dezong came to the throne, and changed his reign to Long'an the following year. He was born stupid and could not distinguish between cold and heat. The government was controlled by the Prince of Huiji Sima Daozi, and later fell into the hands of his son Sima Yuanxian, and the imperial power was completely lost.

2. 397—398

   MilitaryWang Gong and Yin Zhongkan raised troops

   Wang Gong, the governor of Yanqing, and Yin Zhongkan, the governor of Jingzhou, successively raised armies in the name of crusade against Wang Guobao and Sima Daozi's cronies. Huan Xuan, Yang Quanqi and others also joined. The imperial court used division tactics to disintegrate the coalition forces. Wang Gong was defeated and killed, and Huan Xuan's power grew.

3. 398

   DiplomacyThe Northern Wei Dynasty moved the capital and proclaimed himself emperor

   Tuoba Gui moved the capital to Pingcheng and proclaimed himself emperor, and the Northern Wei Dynasty was officially established. After that, the Northern Wei Dynasty unified the north and faced the Eastern Jin Dynasty across the Huaihe River and the Yangtze River, laying the foundation for the future Northern and Southern Dynasties.

4. 399—402

   SocietySun En Uprising

   Sima Yuanxian conscripted the "Les" from the east to serve as soldiers, which aroused resentment among the people of Sanwu. Sun En, the leader of Wu Dou Mi Road, raised troops in Kuaiji, and eight counties responded, once approaching Jiankang. In 402, Sun En was defeated and committed suicide in the sea. The remaining troops were led by Lu Xun.

5. 399—412

   CultureFa Xian traveled west to learn Buddhist scriptures

   The eminent monk Fa Xian set out from Chang'an and crossed Congling to Tianzhu. He traveled to more than 30 countries and studied Sanskrit in Tianzhu. In 412, he returned to his country by sea via the Lion Kingdom (today's Sri Lanka), brought back a large number of Sanskrit sutras, and wrote "Buddha's Kingdom".

   Lasting legacy"Buddha Kingdom" describes the geography, customs and Buddhism of ancient Central Asia and South Asia. It is an important document for studying the history of ancient South Asia. There are still many annotated editions in use today.

6. 401

   CultureKumārajīva enters Chang'an

   In the late Qin Dynasty, Yao Xing welcomed the eminent monk Kumārajīva of Kucha to Chang'an, and he was regarded as the national teacher. He set up a translation center and translated more than 300 volumes of the Diamond Sutra, the Lotus Sutra, and the Vimalakīrti Sutra. The translation was fluent and had a profound influence on Chinese Buddhism.

   Lasting legacyAmong the Chinese translations of the Diamond Sutra and the Lotus Sutra that are popular today, Kumārajīva’s translation is the most widely circulated.

7. 402

   MilitaryHuan Xuan entered Jiankang

   Sima Yuanxian conquered Huan Xuan. Huan Xuan went eastward along the Yangtze River and invaded Jiankang without any bloodshed. He killed Sima Daozi and Sima Yuanxian. He appointed himself Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Chinese and foreign military forces and controlled the imperial court from then on.

8. 402—404

   CultureOn those who believe that Samanas are not kings

   Huan Xuan wanted to order the ascetics to pay homage to the King Jing. The eminent monk Hui Yuan wrote "The Theory of Recluses Not to King Jing", advocating that monks do not need to pay homage to the Emperor Jing. Huan Xuan finally obeyed the order. Buddhism thus maintained its relative independence from secular imperial power.

9. 403

   PoliticsHuan Xuan usurped the throne

   Huan Xuan forced Emperor An to declare himself emperor in Jiankang, named his country Chu, and moved Emperor An to Xunyang. After Huan Xuan proclaimed himself emperor, his government was chaotic, he was extravagant and he was fond of hunting, and his people lost all support. He only lasted for a few months.

10. 404

    MilitaryLiu Yu raised troops at Jingkou

    Liu Yu, the general of the Beifu army, joined forces with Liu Yi, He Wuji and others to attack Huan Xuan in Jingkou and invaded Jiankang. Huan Xuan fled west and was killed on the way, and Emperor An was restored to power. Liu Yu took charge of the government.

11. 405

    PeopleTao Yuanming resigned and went into seclusion

    Tao Yuanming served as Peng Zeling for only more than eighty years. Because he was unwilling to "break down his waist to the village boy for five buckets of rice", he resigned and went into seclusion. He wrote "Come Back and Come Back". After that, he cultivated the countryside and created a pastoral style of poetry.

    Lasting legacyPhrases such as "Don't give up for five pecks of rice", "Come back home" and "Pick chrysanthemums under the eastern fence" are still widely circulated today. His poems are often selected in middle school Chinese textbooks.

12. 409—410

    MilitaryLiu Yu destroyed Nanyan

    Liu Yu led his army in the northern expedition to the Southern Yan of the Murong clan in Xianbei, captured Guanggu, captured the Yan leader Murong Chao, beheaded him in Jiankang, and recovered the Shandong area. This was the victory of Eastern Jin's first large-scale Northern Expedition.

13. c. 409

    CultureGu Kaizhi passed away

    The painter Gu Kaizhi passed away. He advocated "describing gods with shapes" and was good at figures. People at the time said he had "unparalleled talent, painting and obsession". His paintings "Ode to the Goddess of the Luo" and "Proverbs of a Female History" handed down from generation to generation are all copies of later generations.

    Lasting legacyThe Song copy of "Luo Shen Fu Tu" is now in the Palace Museum, and the Tang copy of "The Lady's Proverbs" is in the British Museum.

14. 410—411

    MilitaryLu Xun's troops forced Jiankang

    During Liu Yu's Northern Expedition to Southern Yan, Lu Xun and Xu Daofu took advantage of the situation and went north, defeating the Jin army and approaching Jiankang. Liu Yu returned to his army and defended it strictly, but Lu Xun withdrew his troops. In 411, Liu Yu pursued him, but Lu Xun was defeated and fled to Jiaozhou, where he drowned himself and the great trouble in the southeast subsided.

15. 413

    EconomyYixi Tuduan

    Liu Yu implemented Yixi Tujuan, merged the household registrations of overseas Chinese living in various places into the household registrations of commanders and counties where they lived, abolished overseas commanders and counties, and cracked down on powerful people who concealed their household registrations, which increased the country's tax revenue and improved Eastern Jin's finances to a certain extent.

16. 416—417

    MilitaryLiu Yu destroyed Later Qin

    Liu Yu led his army in a separate expedition to the north of Later Qin and captured Luoyang. In 417, he captured Chang'an and captured Yao Hong, the leader of Later Qin. The territory of Eastern Jin reached its largest extent, but Liu Yu was eager to return to Jiankang to replace Jin, and the generals who stayed in Chang'an had internal strife. The next year, Chang'an was occupied by Xia Kingdom Helianbobo.

17. 418

    PoliticsEmperor An was killed

    In order to succeed the Jin Dynasty, Liu Yu sent Wang Shao and others to hang Emperor An in the East Hall, and established his younger brother Langya King Sima Dewen as emperor. Emperor An has never managed politics in his life and has difficulty in taking charge of his own affairs. He has always been a puppet in the hands of powerful ministers.