Page "Monguor people" Paragraph 9

During the Sixteen Kingdoms ( 304-439 ) period, the Xianbei founded six kingdoms, including the Former Yan ( 281-370 ), Western Yan ( 384-394 ), Later Yan ( 383-407 ), Southern Yan ( 398-410 ), Western Qin ( 385-430 ) and Southern Liang ( 397-414 ).

Most of them were unified by the Tuoba Xianbei, who established the Northern Wei ( 386-535 ), which was the first of the Northern Dynasties ( 386-581 ) founded by the Xianbei.

In 534, the Northern Wei split into an Eastern Wei ( 534-550 ) and a Western Wei ( 535-556 ).

The former evolved into the Northern Qi ( 550-577 ), and the latter into the Northern Zhou ( 557-581 ), while the Southern Dynasties were pushed to the south of the Yangtze River.

In 581, the Prime Minister of Northern Zhou, Yang Jian founded the Sui Dynasty ( 581-618 ).

His son, Emperor Yang Guang, annihilated the Southern Chen ( 557-589 ), the last kingdom of the Southern Dynasties, thereby unifying northern and southern China.

Yang Guang commanded the construction of the Grand Canal to enhance cultural exchanges and trade between the north and south, developed unified monetary and measurement standards, and initiated the national examination system to identify and promote talents based on merits.

After the Sui came to an end amidst peasant rebellions and renegade troops, his maternal cousin, Li Shimin, founded the Tang Dynasty ( 618-907 ).

Born in Qin ’ an, Gansu and revered as " the Heavenly Khan ," or " Tian kehan " after defeating the Tujue, Li led China to develop into the most prosperous state of civilization seen in the world, which saw extravagant palaces, architecture, music, literature, and fine arts, long before Europe was in the Dark Ages.

The Khitans who founded the subsequent Liao Dynasty ( 916-1125 ) and the Mongols who founded the Yuan Dynasty ( 1271 – 1368 ) in China proper also derived their ancestries from the Xianbei.

Through these extensive political establishments, the Xianbei who entered into China were immersed among the Chinese and later classified into " Han ," whereas the " Monguor "/" Tu " represented a branch of the Xianbei who have preserved their distinctive identity, language, and culture until today.