A standing Buddha in Yungang Grottos

TheNorthern Wei Dynasty(386-534) is most noted for unifying northern China in 440. Since the Wei was also heavily involved in funding the arts, many precious antiques and art works from the period have been preserved.

In 493, the dynasty moved its capital from Datong to Luoyang and started constructing the Longmen Caves. More then 30,000 Buddhist images from the time of the Wei have been unearthed in the caves.

Stone-carved base of a column

It is believed that the dynasty originated from the Tuoba clan of the non-Han Xianbei tribe. The Tuobas renamed themselves the Yuans as part of a systematic Sinicization.

Xiaowen, an emperor of the Northern Wei Dynasty, moved the Northern Wei capital to Luoyang in 494 -- a city long-acknowledged as a major center of activity in Chinese history. He then implemented a drastic policy of Sinicization, changing artistic styles to reflect Chinese tastes and requiring the Xianbei and others to adopt Chinese surnames, speak the language and wear Chinese clothing. The resentment engendered by these policies contributed to the downfall of the dynasty around the mid-sixth century.