Successions of Invasions

 

The Western Jin Dynasty saw successive waves of invasions by nomads from the north at the beginning of the 4th century. The non-Han Chinese kingdoms that ruled northwestern China one after another, including Former Liang, Former Qin, Later Liang, and Western Liang, attempted to maintain the protector with varying degrees of success, but were all ultimately short-lived.

 

View of Turpan. Photo courtesy of Everest Company.

 

Modern highways of the Gansu Province. Photo courtesy of Terra Daily.

 

The Northern Wei empire finally reunified northern China and its protectorate controlled what is currently the southeastern third of Xinjiang. The western half of the region was controlled by local sates, such as Shule, Yutian, Guizi, and Qiemo, while the central region around Turpan was controlled by Gaochang, remnants of the Northern Liang state that once ruled part of what is now the Gansu province in northwestern China.