Northern and Southern dynasties ( 386-589 )

The Northern and Southern dynasties (Chinese: 南北朝; pinyin: Nán-Běi Cháo) was a period in the history of China that lasted from 420 to 589, following the tumultuous era of the Sixteen Kingdoms and the Wu Hu states. It is sometimes considered as the latter part of a longer period known as the Six Dynasties (220 to 589).  The period came to an end with the unification of all of China proper by Emperor Wen of the Sui dynasty. [wiki]