The Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history is celebrated as the "Golden Age of Chivalry". The history of the era, with its tripod of Wu, Shu and Wei is focused on the great men of the era - Cao Cao, Sima Yi, Liu Bei, Zhuge Liang, Guan Yu, Zhao Yun, Lu Bu, Sun Jian, Sun Ce, Sun Quan, Zhou Yu, Lu Su, Lu Xun, Lu Meng just to name a few. The byline of the era - "That which is united must divide and that which is divided must once again unite", is part of the collective Chinese obsession with cultural, ethnic and territorial unity (which can be seen in issues like Taiwan today).
However one of the key legacies of the era was the spread of Han Chinese culture and influence over previously ignored regions. The empire founded by the First Emperor of Qin and inherited by the Han spread to large sections of Korea and Vietnam, as far south as Guangzhou (founded as a colony for ex-soldiers by the First Emperor) and west to modern day Szechuan. However during the Han era, most development was concentrated in the plains region north of the Yangtze river. Other areas were generally seen as not very important. During the late Han, 90% of the registered Han Chinese population was in the northern regions. However with the fragmentation of the Han Empire into discrete areas controlled by individual warlords, cultural assimilation of non-Han people, Han Chinese migration and military conquest accelerated exponentially during this era. With a semi-stable division of land, room for further conquest was to lands beyond the traditional heartland of Han China. Also many warlords were aware of the massive population Cao Cao controlled and were determined to raise the number of people and hence the number of troops they could raise to defend against him. For example, Sun Quan noted the success or failure of his general's actions by the number of new troops he could raise. He also forcibly moved people from the borderlands of Wu and Wei into Wu (as did Cao Cao) to raise his population. His state also developed an "open arms" policy to any refugees from the north. Raising population and developing land was top priority. In the land now known as Szechuan, Zhuge Liang led campaigns to pacify the "barbarians" greatly celebrated in history and folk lore and operas and set about a massive development of previously neglected land.
With Gongsun Zhan controlling Manchuria and north Korea, Liu Bei moving into Szechuan, the Sun family in the regions south of the Yangtze and Shi Xie in Vietnam (known in Vietnam as "King Si" or Si Nhiêp) and the ancient province of Jiao (modern day Guangdong and Guangxhi) by the end of the Three Kingdoms era, rebel Han Chinese were forcibly brought back to the fold, "rebellions" by non-Han Chinese (really resistence against Han Chinese conquest) were squashed and non-Han Chinese forcibly assimilated into the Han Chinese communities and previously neglected land was intensely developed. Also this time saw the first Chinese contact with a strange tribe in a large island off the coast ruled by a priestess called Himiko. This marked the first Chinese communications with the people later known as the Japanese. The Three Kingdoms era also saw the initial spread of Buddhism into China.
This era also saw mass migrations from the troubles of the north. The biggest beneficiary of this was Sun Quan as the rich, fertile south described by the Han historian Sima Qian: "The land is by nature abundant with things to eat, and there is no danger of famine or death. For this reason, even those who are weak or ill can manage to survive, there is no occasion to store up goods, and many of the people remain poor" attractted many families fleeing from the overcrowded battle-torn northern regions. By the time of the founding of Wu, the Han Chinese population in the south had swelled, mostly fuelled by mass migrations from the north. Initially the warlords did not have the time to do much with these refugees who were effectively out of government control. Forming "clan" groups they formed villages resembling armed camps that battled it out with the native people of the region. Reigning in these masses of rebel Han Chinese and putting them under government control was a top priority. Also the Yangtze river as shown in the Battle of Red Cliffs and later on many times in Chinese history (eg. during the turmultous period between Jin and Tang, during the Southern Song) provided a massive defensive barrier to incursions from warlords in the north, so that the land in the south was not rent apart by constant warfare as was the north. The richness of the south and Sun Quan's success in his policies can be seen in the fact that the city he founded, now known as Nanjing soon became known as one of the most beautiful places in China and one of its cultural pearls.
However one of the key legacies of the era was the spread of Han Chinese culture and influence over previously ignored regions. The empire founded by the First Emperor of Qin and inherited by the Han spread to large sections of Korea and Vietnam, as far south as Guangzhou (founded as a colony for ex-soldiers by the First Emperor) and west to modern day Szechuan. However during the Han era, most development was concentrated in the plains region north of the Yangtze river. Other areas were generally seen as not very important. During the late Han, 90% of the registered Han Chinese population was in the northern regions. However with the fragmentation of the Han Empire into discrete areas controlled by individual warlords, cultural assimilation of non-Han people, Han Chinese migration and military conquest accelerated exponentially during this era. With a semi-stable division of land, room for further conquest was to lands beyond the traditional heartland of Han China. Also many warlords were aware of the massive population Cao Cao controlled and were determined to raise the number of people and hence the number of troops they could raise to defend against him. For example, Sun Quan noted the success or failure of his general's actions by the number of new troops he could raise. He also forcibly moved people from the borderlands of Wu and Wei into Wu (as did Cao Cao) to raise his population. His state also developed an "open arms" policy to any refugees from the north. Raising population and developing land was top priority. In the land now known as Szechuan, Zhuge Liang led campaigns to pacify the "barbarians" greatly celebrated in history and folk lore and operas and set about a massive development of previously neglected land.
With Gongsun Zhan controlling Manchuria and north Korea, Liu Bei moving into Szechuan, the Sun family in the regions south of the Yangtze and Shi Xie in Vietnam (known in Vietnam as "King Si" or Si Nhiêp) and the ancient province of Jiao (modern day Guangdong and Guangxhi) by the end of the Three Kingdoms era, rebel Han Chinese were forcibly brought back to the fold, "rebellions" by non-Han Chinese (really resistence against Han Chinese conquest) were squashed and non-Han Chinese forcibly assimilated into the Han Chinese communities and previously neglected land was intensely developed. Also this time saw the first Chinese contact with a strange tribe in a large island off the coast ruled by a priestess called Himiko. This marked the first Chinese communications with the people later known as the Japanese. The Three Kingdoms era also saw the initial spread of Buddhism into China.
This era also saw mass migrations from the troubles of the north. The biggest beneficiary of this was Sun Quan as the rich, fertile south described by the Han historian Sima Qian: "The land is by nature abundant with things to eat, and there is no danger of famine or death. For this reason, even those who are weak or ill can manage to survive, there is no occasion to store up goods, and many of the people remain poor" attractted many families fleeing from the overcrowded battle-torn northern regions. By the time of the founding of Wu, the Han Chinese population in the south had swelled, mostly fuelled by mass migrations from the north. Initially the warlords did not have the time to do much with these refugees who were effectively out of government control. Forming "clan" groups they formed villages resembling armed camps that battled it out with the native people of the region. Reigning in these masses of rebel Han Chinese and putting them under government control was a top priority. Also the Yangtze river as shown in the Battle of Red Cliffs and later on many times in Chinese history (eg. during the turmultous period between Jin and Tang, during the Southern Song) provided a massive defensive barrier to incursions from warlords in the north, so that the land in the south was not rent apart by constant warfare as was the north. The richness of the south and Sun Quan's success in his policies can be seen in the fact that the city he founded, now known as Nanjing soon became known as one of the most beautiful places in China and one of its cultural pearls.
