The Western Jin Dynasty (265-316) ushered in a period of relative order and prosperity, a brief interlude between the turbulent age of the Three Kingdoms and the devastating barbarian invasions.

For a short time, the government attempted important fiscal and political reforms, mainly intended to curb the power of the great families. Political contacts with other states were resumed. But the grand days were over almost as quickly as they began. The familiar signs of the end of the ``dynastic cycle'' appeared: collapse of the central government, decentralized military control of the provinces, famine, widespread banditry and messianic peasant movements.

The Eastern Jin Dynasty (317-420) led the way for later dynasties in the south that would have Nanking as their capital. The Jin court was at the mercy of the great families, with government controlled by changing groups of aristocratic clans.

The collapse of the Jin Dynasties led to a division between the Southern & Northern Dynasties, marked by barbarian invasions and rule.