![Wu Hu Uprising](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/00/Wu_Hu_Uprising.png)
The Disaster of Yongjia () refers to an event in
Chinese history
The earliest known written records of the history of China date from as early as 1250 BC, from the Shang dynasty (c. 1600–1046 BC), during the reign of king Wu Ding. Ancient historical texts such as the ''Book of Documents'' (early chapter ...
that occurred in 311 CE (5th year of the ''Yongjia'' era of the reign of
Emperor Huai of Jin
Emperor Huai of Jin (; 284 – March 14, 313), personal name Sima Chi (司馬熾), courtesy name Fengdu (豐度), was an emperor of the Jin Dynasty (266–420).
Emperor Huai was captured in 311 and later executed in 313 under the order of Liu ...
, hence the name), when forces of the
Xiongnu
The Xiongnu (, ) were a tribal confederation of nomadic peoples who, according to ancient Chinese sources, inhabited the eastern Eurasian Steppe from the 3rd century BC to the late 1st century AD. Modu Chanyu, the supreme leader after 20 ...
-led
Han Zhao dynasty captured and sacked
Luoyang
Luoyang is a city located in the confluence area of Luo River (Henan), Luo River and Yellow River in the west of Henan province. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the ...
, the capital of the
Western Jin dynasty
Western may refer to:
Places
*Western, Nebraska, a village in the US
*Western, New York, a town in the US
*Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western world, countries that id ...
. After this victory, Han Zhao's army committed a massacre of the city's inhabitants, killing the Jin crown prince, a host of ministers, and over 30,000
civilians. They also burnt down the palaces and dug up the Jin dynasty's mausoleums. This was a pivotal event during the
Upheaval of the Five Barbarians
The Upheaval of the Five Barbarians also translated as the Rebellion, the Revolt, or the Invasion of the Five Barbarians () is a Chinese expression which refers to a series of rebellions and invasions between 304 and 316 by non- Han peoples, comm ...
and the early
Sixteen Kingdoms
The Sixteen Kingdoms (), less commonly the Sixteen States, was a chaotic period in Chinese history from AD 304 to 439 when northern China fragmented into a series of short-lived dynastic states. The majority of these states were founded by ...
era, and it played a major role in the fall of the Western Jin dynasty in 316 CE.
The Disaster of Yongjia was a major impetus for the mass migration and expansion of
Han people
The Han Chinese () or Han people (), are an East Asian ethnic group native to China. They constitute the world's largest ethnic group, making up about 18% of the global population and consisting of various subgroups speaking distinctive ...
into southern China. Many clan genealogies ascribe this event in particular as the reason why their ancestors moved from the north to places in
Fujian
Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capi ...
,
Guangdong
Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...
, etc.
See also
*
Invasion and rebellion of the Five Barbarians
References
Jin dynasty (266–420)
Massacres in China
War crimes in China
Chinese war crimes
History of Luoyang
{{China-hist-stub