Buddhism

After the fall of the Western Chin, the Chinese withdrew South to Nanking and established the Eastern Chin dynasty, which was succeeded by a series of weak governments. The conquered North was occupied and divided between various sinicized peoples, who soon were warring with one another. Hence began the 'North and South Dynasties' period (317-581), which resembles the fuedal periods in Europe and Japan. In the South, the upper classes who devoted their lives to academics and literature began to explore Buddhism, often discovering it through Neo-Taoism. At the same time, Buddhism was adopted and promoted by many of the occupying dynasties in the North, where it eventually would achieve a popularity nearing the status of a state religion. Kumarajiva arrived and established the first Imperial translation bureau in the North, while a well read sangha in the South studiously examined the scriptures and developed the first beginnings of a Chinese Buddhism theology. This period closes with the reunification of China under the Sui dynasty.