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( Three Kingdoms)
Republic of China
(Taiwan)
1945–present The Three Kingdoms period (traditional Chinese ??; simplified Chinese ??; pinyin Sanguó) is a period in the history of China, part of an era of disunity called the Six Dynasties following immediately the loss of de facto power of the Han Dynasty emperors. In a strict academic sense it refers to the period between the foundation of the Wei in 220 and the conquest of the Wu by the Jin Dynasty in 280. However, many Chinese historians and laymen extend the starting point of this period back to the uprising of the Yellow Turbans in 184. The three kingdoms were Wèi (?), Shu (?), and Wú (?). To help further distinguish these states from other historical Chinese states of the same name, historians add a relevant character Wei is also known as Cáo Wèi (??), Shu is also known as Shu Hàn (??), and Wu is also known as Dong Wú or Eastern Wu (??). The term Three Kingdoms itself is somewhat a mistranslation, since each state was eventually headed by an emperor who claimed legitimate succession from the Han Dynasty, not by kings. Nevertheless the term has become standard among sinologists. The earlier, "unofficial" part of the period, from 190 to 220, was marked by chaotic infighting between warlords in various parts of China. The middle part of the period, from 220 and 263, was marked by a more militarily stable arrangement between three rival states, Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu. The later part of this period was marked by the collapse of the tripartite situation first the destruction of Shu by Wei (263), then the overthrow of Wei by the Jin Dynasty (265), and the destruction of Wu by Jin (280).
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