Page "History of East Asia" Paragraph 25

The Northern Wei was established by the Tuoba clan of the Xianbei people in AD 386, when they united the northern part of China.

During the Northern Wei, Buddhism flourished, and became an important tool for the emperors of the Northern Wei, since they were believed to be living incarnations of Buddha.

Soon, the Northern Wei was divided into the Eastern Wei and Western Wei.

These were followed by the Northern Zhou and Northern Qi.

In the south, the dynasties were much less stable than the Northern Dynasties.

The four dynasties were weakened by conflicts between the ruling families.