The historical significance of Emperor Xiaowen’s reforms in the Northern Wei Dynasty: it promoted national integration.

The Sinicization reform measures implemented by Emperor Xiaowen were conducive to easing class conflicts and played a positive role in the recovery and development of social economy.

The nine-rank Zhongzheng system established in the Cao Wei Dynasty had become a situation in which officials were selected from aristocratic families during the Western Jin Dynasty, and two social classes, the gentry and the common people, evolved. This is the origin of the famous saying "There are no nobles in the lower class". Extended information

Historical background of the reforms of Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty:

The Xianbei tribe is an ancient northern ethnic group in Chinese history. branch. The Tuoba tribe continued to move south. During the Western Jin Dynasty, the tribal leader Tuoba Yilu was named Dai King by the emperor because of his meritorious service in helping the imperial court fight against Liu Yuan and Shi Le, and established the Dai Kingdom.

But soon, the Dai Kingdom was destroyed by the rise of the Former Qin Dynasty, and the history of the Tuoba tribe was temporarily interrupted. After the Battle of Feishui, the rule of the former Qin Dynasty collapsed. Tuoba Gui of the Tuoba Tribe took the opportunity to restore the country, held a tribal meeting, assumed the throne, and changed the country's name to Wei, claiming the emperor, and was known as the Northern Wei in history.

After that, several generations of rulers of the Northern Wei Dynasty were committed to unification and launched annexation wars. They successively destroyed Daxia, Beiyan and Beiliang in the north, and unified the north in 439.

After the Five Husties disrupted China, the Tuoba clan of the Xianbei tribe finally unified North China and established the Northern Wei Dynasty. At that time, all the monarchs of the Northern Wei Dynasty paid attention to the study of Han culture. By the time of Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty, the Empress Dowager Feng and the courtier Li Chong had carried out reforms to establish an equal land system and re-establish a large empire with agriculture as the main body. Because Emperor Xiaowen was raised by the Empress Dowager Feng, who was of the Han nationality, he was deeply influenced by Han culture. After he ascended the throne, he initiated the policy of Sinicization in the future.

During the process of national conquest, the rulers of the Northern Wei Dynasty implemented ethnic discrimination and cruel ethnic oppression policies against people of all ethnic groups. Crazy ethnic killings often occurred during the wars of conquest, and ethnic conflicts continued to intensify (reform necessity).

By the middle of the Northern Wei Dynasty, although ethnic conflicts had gradually eased, class conflicts had become increasingly acute due to excessive exploitation and oppression by the ruling class. Peasant uprisings broke out every year, especially in AD 445 (Taiping Zhenjun) Six years) An uprising led by Gai Wu, a Lushui Hu man in Xingcheng, Shaanxi Province.

More than 100,000 people were mobilized to participate in the uprising. The Northern Wei government sent 60,000 cavalry to suppress it. The ruler Tuoba Tao personally came to command. In the end, Gai Wu was killed by a traitor. Gai Wu's uprising failed, but the Northern Wei Dynasty The rulers were greatly shocked.

In 471 AD (the fifth year of Emperor Xing's reign), Tuoba Hong ascended the throne as Emperor Xiaowen. Since then, the peasant uprisings continued unabated, and the court's brutal suppression not only failed to quell the people's uprisings, but instead inspired more conflicts and struggles. In order to alleviate social and ethnic conflicts, Empress Dowager Feng and Emperor Xiaowen successively carried out a series of reforms, collectively known as Emperor Xiaowen's reforms.

Baidu Encyclopedia-Reforms of Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty