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Southern Dynasties
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Quick Facts
Chinese (Pinyin):
Nanchao, or
(Wade-Giles romanization):
Nan-ch’ao
Date:
420 - 589
Location:
China
Nanjing
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Southern Dynasties

Chinese history
Also known as: Nan-ch’ao, Nanchao
Written and fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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History

Southern Dynasties, (ad 420–589), four succeeding short-lived dynasties based at Jiankang (now Nanjing), which ruled over a large part of China south of the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang) during much of the Six Dynasties period. The four dynasties were the Liu-Song (420–479), the Nan (Southern) Qi (479–502), the Nan Liang (502–557), and the Nan Chen (557–589). Although it was a time of comparative political weakness, Chinese culture flourished during this period.

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