The Southern and Northern Dynasties ( 南北朝 420 AD - 589 AD) followed the Sixteen Kingdoms ( 十六国 ) and preceded Sui Dynasty ( 隋朝 ) and was an age of civil wars and disunity. During this time period, the north and south were split and two separate successions of dynasties formed. In both the north and the south, there were different groups of rulers. Many of the dynasties overlapped each other in terms of time.

The northern dynasties consisted of the Northern Wei ( 北魏 386-533A.D.), the Eastern Wei ( 东魏 534-540A.D.), the Western Wei ( 西魏 535-557A.D.), the Northern Qi ( 北齐 550-577A.D.) and the Northern Zhou ( 北周 557-588). The southern dynasties consisted of the Song ( 宋 420-478 A.D.), the Qi ( 齐 479-501 A.D.), the Liang ( 梁 502-556 A.D.) and the Chen ( 陈 557-588 A.D.).

Despite the political disunity of the times, there were notable technological advances. The invention of gunpowder (at that 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.

In the north especially, Buddhism f lourished. This was due partly to the fact that the nobles who had been the main followers of Confucianism moved south. Another factor in the spread of Buddhism was China was ruled by non-Chinese, who were not already committed to the Confucian religion or the traditional shamanistic religions of China .