Dynasties of ChinaEastern JinEastern Jin lineage
Yonghe · Shengping · Reign 344—361
He ascended the throne at the age of two and the Queen Mother came to the court. During the seventeen years of his reign, Wen also destroyed the Chenghan Dynasty and the Northern Expedition. Wang Xizhi left the "Lanting Preface".
Sima Dan is named Peng Zu, the son of Emperor Kang, and his biological mother Chu Suanzi. Emperor Kang died of illness in September 344, and Sima Dan, who was two years old (in vain), was established as emperor and changed to Yuan Yonghe. Empress Dowager Chu Suanzirule as regent, He Chong, Prince of Huiji Sima Yu and others assisted in the administration. Emperor Mu reigned for seventeen years, most of which was ruled by the Queen Mother and powerful ministers. In 357, Emperor Mu took over the throne, but the real power was still not in his hands. He died of illness in 361, at the age of nineteen, without any heirs.
The Emperor Mu Dynasty was a period when the Eastern Jin country was relatively strong: Huan Wen, the governor of Jingzhou, conquered the Chenghan in the west and recovered Bashu in 347; the Hou Zhao in the north collapsed, Ran Min killed Hu, the former Yan rose, and the former Qin was established. The Eastern Jin court successively led the northern expedition with Yin Hao, Huan Wen and others. Huan Wen's prestige was growing through the destruction of Shu and the Northern Expedition, and he was constraining each other with Sima Yu and Yin Hao in the court. Eastern Jin's clan politics entered a new stage, and the Xie family, Huan family, etc. also gradually emerged.
Culturally, in the ninth year of Yonghe (353), Wang Xizhi held a ritual ceremony at the Orchid Pavilion in Shanyin, Kuaiji, and wrote the "Preface to the Orchid Pavilion"; famous monks such as Zhi Dun socialized with scholar-bureaucrats, metaphysics and Buddhism stirred up each other, and Jiangnan culture entered a prosperous stage. Emperor Mu died of illness in May 361.
Emperor Mu himself came to the throne at a young age and never held real power throughout his life. The historical merits and demerits were mainly borne by the Queen Mother and powerful ministers. However, during his reign, the Eastern Jin destroyed the Chenghan, regained Luoyang, and Huan Wen's prestige rose. Later Zhao in the north collapsed and the former Qin rose, and the political landscape underwent important changes. Culturally, the Lanting Elegant Collection merged with Xuanfo, making the Yonghe period one of the pinnacles of Eastern Jin culture, and had a profound impact on the history of Chinese calligraphy and thought.
PoliticsAscended to the throne at the age of two
Emperor Kang died of illness, and Empress Dowager Chu Suanzi established two-year-old Sima Dan as emperor and ruled as regent, with He Chong, Sima Yu and others assisting the government. Since then, the Queen Mother has visited the court three times, which has become a special phenomenon in Eastern Jin politics.
PeopleHuan Wen left town in Jingzhou
Yu Yi died of illness, and the imperial court appointed Huan Wen as General of Anxi and governor of Jingzhou, and military commander in charge of the six states of Jing, Si, Yong, Yi, Liang, and Ning. From then on, Huan Wen occupied the upper reaches of the Yangtze River and his power grew day by day.
MilitaryHuan Wen destroyed Cheng Han
Without waiting for the approval of the court, Huan Wen led his army up the river into Shu, and defeated the Han army near Chengdu. The leader of the Han Dynasty, Li Shi, surrendered, and the Cheng Han Dynasty was destroyed.
MilitaryChu Pei's Northern Expedition
After Zhao Shihu died of illness, there was great chaos in the north. Chu Pei, the father of the Queen Mother, led the Northern Expedition and entered Pengcheng. After the defeat at Daibei in 350, Chu Su died of illness due to shame and anger, and returned from the Northern Expedition without success.
MilitaryLater Zhao collapsed
After Shi Hu's death in 349, all the disciples fought against each other. In 350, the Han general Ran Min killed Shi Jian and established himself on his own. He issued the "Kill Hu Order" and massacred the Hu people, killing hundreds of thousands. 352 years ago, Yan Murongjun attacked and destroyed Ran Wei, and the Central Plains fell into war again.
CultureZhi Dun and Xuan Buddha merge
The eminent monk Zhi Dun interacted with Wang Xizhi, Xie An and other famous people in Kuaiji. He used Lao-Zhuang Xuanli to explain Buddhist Prajna theory, lectured on the Vimalakīrti Sutra, and advocated that "the original form is empty". Buddhism spread rapidly among the scholar-bureaucrats in Jiangnan with the help of metaphysics.
PoliticsEstablished in the former Qin Dynasty
Fu Jian, a Di man, settled in Guanzhong. In 351, he was proclaimed King of Heaven and Great Chanyu, and in 352, he was proclaimed emperor. His country was named Da Qin, and its capital was Chang'an. It was called the Former Qin in history. Later, with the help of Wang Meng, the former Qin Dynasty became stronger and unified the north.
PeopleWang Xizhi was appointed internal historian of Kuaiji
The famous scholar Wang Xizhi served as the internal historian of Kuaiji. He interacted with Xie An, Sun Chuo, Zhi Dun and others in Shanyin, and was active in creation. In 355, due to a disagreement with Wang Shu, the governor of Yangzhou, he resigned due to illness, and swore in front of his parents' tomb that he would never serve in an official position again, which is known as the "Oath tomb" in history.
MilitaryYin Hao Northern Expedition
The imperial court used Yin Hao to check and balance Huan Wen and ordered him to expedition to the north. Yin Hao suffered repeated defeats, and his general Yao Xiang rebelled and surrendered, losing all his food and grass. In 354, he was impeached and deposed as a commoner by Huan Wen. From then on, Huan Wen became an uncontrollable powerful official in the court.
CultureLanting Elegant Collection
On the third day of March in the ninth year of Yonghe, Wang Xizhi, Xie An, Sun Chuo and other more than 40 people were practicing at the Orchid Pavilion in Shanyin, Kuaiji. They drank wine from a meandering stream, wrote poems and drank wine. Wang Xizhi wrote a preface to the collection of poems, which is known as the "Preface to the Orchid Pavilion", which is known as "the best preface in the world".
Lasting legacyThe Orchid Pavilion in Shaoxing has been preserved as a scenic spot; the original "Preface to the Orchid Pavilion" has been lost, but the most famous one is the Tang Dynasty copy "Shenlong Edition", which is now in the Palace Museum; Wang Xizhi is revered as the "Sage of Calligraphy".
MilitaryHuan Wen's First Northern Expedition
Huan Wen led 40,000 infantry and cavalry to the north from Jiangling, defeated the former Qin army, and advanced to Bashang east of Chang'an. The common people crowded the streets to welcome him, and some old people lamented, "I don't want to see the officers and soldiers again today." Due to the lack of food and grass, Huan Wen withdrew his troops, and Wang Meng's story of "talking about the lice" happened at this time.
MilitaryRecover Luoyang
Huan Wen made his second Northern Expedition, defeated the Qiang Yao Xiang, regained Luoyang, and repaired the destroyed Western Jin Emperor's Mausoleum. He petitioned to move the capital to Luoyang, but the court was unwilling to accept it and Huan Wen's gains in recovery were quickly lost.
PoliticsEmperor Mu's pro-government
In the first year of Shengping's reign, Emperor Mu was in the Canadian Yuan Dynasty, and the Empress Dowager Chu Suanzi returned to power and no longer attended the court. In the same year, Fu Jian killed the tyrant Fu Sheng and established himself as the King of Qin, and appointed Wang Meng. The former Qin Dynasty greatly strengthened its national power.
PeopleXie An becomes an official
Xie An, who lived in seclusion in Dongshan, Kuaiji, was over 40 years old. He accepted the post of Sima at Huan Wen's request, and the saying "come back from the mountain" came from this. He later worked in the court and became the political leader of Eastern Jin after Huan Wen's death.
Lasting legacyIdioms such as "come back from the mountain" and "lie on the mountain high" are still used today to refer to re-emerging from the mountain after retreating.
PoliticsDied of illness without heirs
In May, Emperor Mu died of illness at the age of nineteen, without any children. The Empress Dowager ordered Emperor Cheng's eldest son, Sima Pi of Langya, to be crowned Emperor Ai. In the same year, the great calligrapher Wang Xizhi passed away.
Empress Kang, who ruled as regent during the reign of Emperor Mu, mediated the relationship between Huan Wen and the courtiers. She went through four dynasties including Emperor Mu, Emperor Ai, Deposed Emperor, and Emperor Xiaowu. She was known as the influential queen mother of Eastern Jin.
The son-in-law of Emperor Ming, he conquered the Han Dynasty through the Western Expedition in 347, and the Northern Expedition twice in 354 and 356, and once regained Luoyang. He used his fame and prestige to control the government, monopolizing power and power. In his later years, he sought to succeed the Jin Dynasty, but he died without success.
County Chen was a native of Changping. He was famous for a while and had lived in seclusion for many years. He was used by the imperial court to check and balance Huan Wen. He presided over the Northern Expedition in 352. He was defeated repeatedly and was deposed as a commoner. He wrote the four characters "Dudu Weishi" in empty handwriting all day long.
Langya Wang family, official to general of the right army, internal historian of Kuaiji. He learned from many calligraphy experts and transformed the simple calligraphy style of Han and Wei dynasties into beautiful calligraphy. The "Lanting Preface" written in 353 is known as "the best calligraphy in the world", and together with Ziwang Xianzhi, it is called "the two kings".
Born in the Xie family of Chen County, he lived in seclusion in Dongshan, Kuaiji in his early years. He became an official in his forties and later became the political leader of Eastern Jin, commanding the overall situation in the Battle of Feishui.
In his early years, he lived in seclusion in Huayin. When Huan Wen entered the customs, he "talked about world affairs" and refused to go with him. Later, he assisted Fu Jian to attack powerful people, rectify the administration of officials, and encourage farmers to teach farming, making the former Qin country rich and powerful.
Shihu raised his grandson, and later Zhao became a fierce general. In 350, he killed Shi Jian and established himself. His country was named Wei and he issued the "Kill Hu Order". In 352, he was defeated and killed by Murong Jun of the former Yan Dynasty, and Ran Wei was destroyed.
His courtesy name was Daolin, who was born in Chenliu. He lived in seclusion in Yuhang Mountain and later went out to lecture on Buddhist scriptures. He interacted with celebrities such as Wang Xizhi and Xie An, used metaphysics to explain Buddhism, and wrote "Xiaoyao Lun", which was regarded by people at the time as a representative of the fusion of metaphysics and Buddhism.