Six Dynasties, (AD 220–589), in China, the period between the end of the Han dynasty in AD 220 and the final conquest of South China (589) by the Sui (established in 581 in North China). This period can be subdivided in: i) The Three Kingdoms 220 to 265AD, ii) Jin Dynasty 265 to 420AD, and iii) Northern & Southern Dynasty 420 to 589AD. The name "Six Dynasties" is derived from the six successive dynasties of South China that had their capitals at Jianye (later Jiankang; present-day Nanjing) during this time: the Wu (222–280), the Dong (Eastern) Jin (317–420), the Liu-Song (420–479), the Nan (Southern) Qi (479–502), the Nan Liang (502–557), and the Nan Chen (557–589). At the same time, the North was ruled by a succession of kingdoms founded by invaders from Central Asia. Important among these were the Bei (Northern) Wei (386–534/535), with its capital at Datong (later Luoyang); the Dong (Eastern) Wei (534–550), at Ye (now Anyang); the Xi (Western) Wei (535–556/557), at Chang’an (now Xi’an); the Bei Qi (550–577), also at Ye; and the Bei Zhou (557–581), also at Chang’an. That the period takes its name from the Nanjing states reflects a gradual shift in Chinese civilization from its previous centre in the North to the relatively unpopulated southern area, whose capital was separated from the northern invaders by the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang).