A Fragmented Empire, a Boy Emperor After Emperor Huai of Jin was captured by Han forces in 311 CE, the Western Jin court collapsed into chaos. Regional warlords scrambled to install their own branches of the Sima clan as figureheads, establishing multiple “Provisional Imperial Secretariats” (xing tai) – temporary administrative centers meant for wartime…
In ancient China, people often sent goods and wealth to deceased relatives by burning paper effigies and offerings—a practice rooted in the belief that material possessions could be transferred to the afterlife.