Era of Disunity
The collapse of the Han dynasty was followed by nearly four centuries of rule by warlords. The age of civil wars and disunity began with the era of the Three Kingdoms （Wei， Shu， and Wu， which had overlapping reigns during the period A.D. 220-80）。 In later times， fiction and drama GREatly romanticized the reputed chivalry of this period. Unity was restored briefly in the early years of the Jin dynasty （A.D. 265-420）， but the Jin could not long contain the invasions of the nomadic peoples. In A.D. 317 the Jin court was forced to flee from Luoyang and reestablished itself at Nanjing to the south. The transfer of the capital coincided with China's political fragmentation into a succession of dynasties that was to last from A.D. 304 to 589. During this period the process of sinicization accelerated among the non-Chinese arrivals in the north and among the aboriginal tribesmen in the south. This process was also accompanied by the increasing popularity of Buddhism （introduced into China in the first century A.D.） in both north and south China. Despite the political disunity of the times， there were notable technological advances. The invention of gunpowder （at that time for use only in fireworks） and the wheelbarrow is believed to date from the sixth or seventh century. Advances in medicine， astronomy， and cartography are also noted by historians.
纷争时代-三国
汉朝灭亡后是长达四个世纪的军阀割据时代。内战和纷争战乱揭开了三国时代（魏、蜀、吴在公元220-80年间政权交替更迭）的序幕，这个时代后期的小说和戏剧作品将可歌可泣的英雄主义精神融入了浓重的传奇色彩。在晋代（公元265到公元440年）早期国家恢复了短暂的统一，然而晋却不能长期抵御来自北方匈奴的入侵。在公元317年晋王朝被迫逃离洛阳在南方的南京重建都城。随迁都迩来的是自公元304至589年的改朝换代及其由此导致的中国政治上的分崩离析。在这个时期，来自中原北部的匈奴和南方南蛮部落加速了汉化的进程。其间还伴随着在中国的北方及南方同时出现的佛教的日益兴旺繁荣（在公元一世纪被传入中国）。尽管政治上分崩离析，而这个时期在科学技术上却有显著的进步。发明了火药（当时只用在大炮上）和独轮手推车（被确定在公元6-7世纪发明）。此外史学家们还注意到了医学、天文学和绘图学上的进步。
