The Jin court is forced to flee from Luoyang in 317 and reestablishes itself at Nanjing to the south.

The transfer of the capital coincides with China's political fragmentation into a succession of dynasties that is to last from 304 to 589.

During this period the process of sinicization accelerates among the non-Chinese arrivals in the north and among the aboriginal tribesmen in the south.

This process is also accompanied by the increasing popularity of Buddhism (introduced into China in the first century CE) in both north and south China.

Despite the political disunity of the times, there are notable technological advances.

The invention of gunpowder (at this time for use only in fireworks) and the wheelbarrow is believed to date from the sixth or seventh century.

Advances in medicine, astronomy, and cartography are also noted by historians.