| A universal guide for China studiesChinese History - Three Kingdoms 三國 (220-280) |
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Three Kingdoms |  period before (Han)next period (Jin)  | |
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 |   Although the begin of the Three Kingdoms period could be settled in the year 220 when Cao Pi proclaimed himself emperor of Wei, many scholars set the end of the Han Dynasty era in the year 190 when the mighty general Dong Zhuo 董桌 – after eredicating the eunuch fraction at the court - kidnapped the last emperor of Han, Xiandi 漢獻帝, and abducted him the capital of Luoyang to the old capital of Chang’an 長安 (modern Xi’an), causing the begin of three decades full of war and unrest, of political and administrative chaos, of social and economical distresses and calamities. An alliance of local governors under the leadership of Yuan Shao 袁紹 tried to overthrow the “dictator” Dong Zhuo. After the death of Dong Zhuo in 192, the empire was left in a political vacuum that was filled by a dozen of warlords and religious sects like the Daoist Five-Peck-of-Grains-Sect (Wudoumi Dao 五斗米道) and the Yellow Turban (Huangjin 黃巾) peasant uprising. The mightiest of the warlords were Cao Cao (roaming the area of modern Henan Prov.) and Yuan Shao (occupying modern Hebei Prov.). Cao Cao, having the young emperor in his hands, was able to beat Yuan Shao and conquered the northern part of China until 207. His opponents in the south, Sun Quan and Liu Bei, forged an alliance against the northern warlord and defeated Cao Cao in the river battle at the Red Cliff (Chibi 赤壁, "Chibi zhi zhan 赤壁之戰"; near modern Puqi 蒲圻/Hubei Prov.) in 208. now on, the division of China was decided and finally effected in the years of 220-222 when Cao Cao, Liu Bei and Sun Quan successively called themselved emperors. Chinese historians describe this situation as “dingzu duishi 鼎足對峙 - the feet of a tripod erected against each other“, or “Sanguo dingli 三國鼎立 - Three Kingdoms standing [within the empire like the feet of a] tripod (that is actually a single unit like the country of China)“. | |
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