Editing Northern and Southern dynasties (section)

===Philosophy===
{{multiple image
| align = right | direction = vertical | header = | header_align = left/right/center | footer = Murals from a tomb of [[Northern Qi Dynasty]] (550–577 AD) in Jiuyuangang, [[Xinzhou]] | footer_align = left
| image1 = Tomb of Northern Qi Dynasty in Jiuyuangang, Xinzhou, Mural, Building.jpg | width1 = 200 | caption1  =
| image2 = Tomb of Northern Qi Dynasty in Jiuyuangang, Xinzhou, Mural, West Wall 1.jpg | width2 = 200 | caption2  =
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[[Confucianism]]'s unchallenged domination of Chinese culture and thought was greatly weakened during the [[Jin dynasty (265–420)|Jin dynasty]], which led to a wide diversification of political thought and philosophy by the time of the Northern and Southern dynasties.  This era produced a myriad of writers that advocated practical systems of governance and administration, such as [[Cao Cao]] and [[Zhuge Liang]] in the [[Three Kingdoms Period]], [[Wang Dao]] and Bao Jingyan of the Eastern Jin, as well as [[Fan Zhen]], Xing Shao ({{zh|t=邢邵}}), and Fan Xun ({{zh|t=樊遜}}) of the Northern and Southern period.  Much of the philosophy of the period is despondent and dispirited, and a number of scholars and poets became reclusive mountain [[hermit]]s living apart from society.<ref>Zou Jiwan 邹纪万, 1992. ''Wei-Jin-Nan-Bei Chao de Xueshu yu Xinyang'' 魏晋南北朝的学术与信仰, in ''Zhongguo Tongshi'' 中国通史, vol. 5, 165.</ref>  Of these various trends, the most influential was [[Xuanxue|Neo-Daoism]] ({{zh|t=玄學|p=Xuánxué}}).  Neo-Daoism was highly influential during the Southern Dynasty, to the point that [[Emperor Wen of Liu Song]] established a Neo-Daoist Academy and promoted it, along with Confucianism, literature, and history, as the four great subjects of study.  A phenomenon known as "empty chat" ({{zh|t=清談|p=Qīng tán}}) became common, where educated men would meet and talk about philosophy all day without paying any attention to "mundane" things such as their profession or family.  The phenomenon gradually waned during the [[Sui dynasty]], though it did not fully disappear until the [[Tang dynasty]].<ref>Zou, 168</ref>