Liang dynasty

Chinese history

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June 30, 2026

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The Liang dynasty was one of the Southern Dynasties that ruled South China between 420 and 589 CE. The Nan (Southern) Liang dynasty, founded by Wudi, briefly held sway over South China from 502 to 557 CE. Wudi was a patron of Buddhism and helped establish it in southern China. His reign was longer and more stable than other southern emperors of that turbulent period between the Han and Tang dynasties. Despite his patronage of Buddhism, Wudi died of starvation in a monastery after the capital was captured in 549 CE.12

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Chinese painting
Three Kingdoms (220–280) and Six Dynasties (220–589)
In the Nan (Southern) Liang dynasty critical works were written on literature and calligraphy; and, about the mid-6th century, the painter Xie He compiled the earliest work on art theory that has survived in China, the Guhuapinlu (“Classified Record of Painters of Former Times”). In this work he grades…
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In the Nan (Southern) Liang dynasty critical works were written on literature and calligraphy; and, about the mid-6th century, the painter Xie He compiled the earliest work on art theory that has survived in China, the Guhuapinlu (“Classified Record of Painters of Former Times”). In this work he grades…
Read More