Peoples of Pingcheng (398-494): Cultural Diversity and Interaction

Compared to the later capital of the Northern Wei Dynasty, Luoyang (494-534), Pingcheng on the northern border of the Chinese world has received less scholarly attention despite its far longer capital status (398-494). The main reason is the lack of written sources. In addition, there is the derogatory idea that Pingcheng was a latifundium inhabited by "barbarians," since the rulers of the Northern Wei were the Tuoba Xianbei from the eastern steppe, who established the first long-term forei...