Western Jin

  General Description   The Western Jin dynasty (House of Sima, Jin dynasty) briefly reunified China after the Three Kingdoms period, but was marked by political turmoil and internal rebellion. Sima Yan overthrew Cao Wei emperor Cao Huan in 265 CE and declared himself the Western Jin emperor. ^[1] In its 280 CE conquest of Eastern Wu, Western Jin dynasty ended the Three Kingdoms period and reunified China. ^[1] However, the central government was in almost constant turmoil because of internal conflict and corruption. ^[1] A series of rebellions of princes against imperial authority known as the Revolts of the Imperial Princes (291-306 CE) weakened the central government and led to the Disorder of the Five Tribes (304-316 CE), a large uprising of northern nomadic tribes. ^[2] In 316 CE, an imperial Jin prince fled south when a Xiongnu chief attacked the Western Jin capital of Luoyang. The prince went on to found the Eastern Jin dynasty in present day Nanjing. ^{[3] [4]}
The territory of the Western Jin empire was close to the size of the Han empire. ^[5] We have estimated that Western Jin polity territory covered 4.5 million square kilometers in 300 CE.
Despite the political turmoil of the period, advancements made in agriculture, craftsmanship, architecture, medicine, astronomy, and mathematics. ^[6] Buddhism continued to spread throughout China, and Daoism was revived and seen as a more well-defined religion. ^[7] There were many writers, poets and artists from the time of the Jin and the period is often seen as the first period for traditional Chinese art. ^[8]
Population and political organization
The Western Jin maintained many administrative structures of the Han. The empire was divided into provinces and semi-autonomous kingdoms. ^[5] However the Western Jin operated as a neo-feudal society. ^[9] Military rulers governed with the support of relatives, and Confucian values gradually disappeared from the central government and the education system. ^[3] The weak central government struggled to control the non-Chinese tribes living in the empire. ^[9]
The population of the Western Jin empire was recorded as 16.16 million in a 280 CE census. ^[10] The population of Luoyang was 600,000 people in 300 CE. ^[11]

[1]: (San 2014, 145) San, Tan Koon. 2014. Dynastic China: An Elementary History. Malaysia: The Other Press. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/TB95WB7F)

[2]: (San 2014, 146) San, Tan Koon. 2014. Dynastic China: An Elementary History. Malaysia: The Other Press. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/TB95WB7F)

[3]: (Theobald, 2000a) Theobald, U. 2000a. “Jin Dynasty (265-420).” Chinaknowledge.de http://www.chinaknowledge.de/History/Division/jin.html Accessed June 17, 2017. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/DTQ5UTD5

[4]: (San 2014, 146) San, Tan Koon. 2014. Dynastic China: An Elementary History. Malaysia: The Other Press. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/TB95WB7F)

[5]: (Theobald 2011a) Theobald, U. 2011a. “Chinese History- Jin Period Geography.” Chinaknowledge.de. http://www.chinaknowledge.de/History/Division/jin-map.html Accessed June 17, 2017. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/VJ4ZVERD

[6]: (Theobald 2011b) Theobald, U. 2011b. “Chinese History- Science, Technology, and Inventions of the Three Kingdoms, Jin, and Southern and Northern Dynasties.” Chinaknowledge.de. http://www.chinaknowledge.de/History/Division/jin-tech.html Accessed June 17, 2017. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/T5FAI5I6

[7]: (Theobald, 2000a) Theobald, U. 2000a. “Jin Dynasty (265-420).” Chinaknowledge.dehttp://www.chinaknowledge.de/History/Division/jin.html Accessed June 17, 2017. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/DTQ5UTD5

[8]: (Theobald, 2000a) Theobald, U. 2000a. “Jin Dynasty (265-420).” Chinaknowledge.de http://www.chinaknowledge.de/History/Division/jin.html Accessed June 17, 2017. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/DTQ5UTD5

[9]: (Theobald, 2000a) Theobald, U. 2000a. “Jin Dynasty (265-420).” Chinaknowledge.dehttp://www.chinaknowledge.de/History/Division/jin.html Accessed June 17, 2017. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/DTQ5UTD5

[10]: (Graff 2002, 35)Graff, D A. 2002. Medieval Chinese Warfare, 300-900. Routledge. London. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/NUJQCRPA

[11]: (Graff 2002, 50 )Graff, D A. 2002. Medieval Chinese Warfare, 300-900. Routledge. London. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/NUJQCRPA