Because of the confusing number of kingdoms, empires and rulerships, the era of the Sixteen Kingdoms is here separated into several periods: After the disintegration of the central government of the Jin Dynasty 晉 in Luoyang 洛陽 and the flight of the court to Jiankang 建康 (modern Nanjing/Jiangsu) several Non-Chinese dynasties were founded in northern China; the two empires of Zhao (Former Zhao 前趙, Later Zhao 後趙) occupying the core area of traditional China, the Former Liang empire 前涼 and its successor states occupied the Gansu corridor and loosely controlled the western regions. Sichuan was occupied by a kingdom called Cheng-Han 成漢 that was soon destroyed by Eastern Jin 東晉. In the upper course of the River Han 漢水 was a small kingdom called Chouchi 仇池, in the north of modern Shanxi the kingdom of Dai 代, the precursor of the Northern Wei Dynasty 北魏. The successor state of the Later Zhao empire was a group of empires called Yan (the first being Former Yan 前燕) that were almost entirely founded by members of the Murong clan 慕容 of the Xianbei tribe 鮮卑. In the region of Chang'an (modern Xi'an/Shaanxi), the kingdom of Former Qin 前秦 was established that was able to defeat all neigboring kingdoms and even to invade the area of Sichuan. For a dozen years the Former Qin 前秦 empire under the leadership of Fu Jian 苻堅 could control the whole of northern China. The map shows that the territorial administration of the inspection regions (zhou 州) was inherited from the Han 漢, Cao-Wei 曹魏 and Jin Dynasties 晉, likewise the commanderies (jun 郡, not shown in the map). The Administration Area of the Western Territories (Xiyu changshifu 西域長史府) was changed to a simple colonel (Xiyu xiaoweifu 西域校尉府). Some historians stress the importance of the battle of Feishui 淝水 that is said to have stopped the southern advance of the Former Qin empire. From the late 380es on the Eastern Jin Dynasty was able to reconquer a significant amount of territories from the north. The successor state of Former Qin, Later Qin 後秦, could defeat its neighbors, the Later Liang 後涼 in the Gansu corridor, and the weak Western Yan 西燕 that is usually not counted among the Sixteen Kingdoms. The Eastern Jin general Liu Yu 劉裕 who should found the Liu-Song Dynasty 劉宋 conquered Chang'an and ended the rule of Later Qin that should be replaced by Xia 夏. Meanwhile the east was controlled by Later Yan 後燕, and in the north the Tuoba-Xianbei 拓跋鮮卑 kingdom of Dai could be revived as Wei 魏. The last twenty years of the Sixteen Kingdoms period are very turbulent. In the east the state of Later Yan fell apart into two small kingdoms (Northern Yan 北燕, Southern Yan 南燕) under the attack of (Northern) Wei 北魏. Helian Bobo 赫連勃勃, ruler of Xia 夏, was able to conquer Chang'an and to end the Later Qin and the small state state of Western Qin 西秦 at the upper course of the Yellow River. Later Liang 後涼 crumbled into three different states (Western Liang 西涼, Northern Liang 北涼 and Southern Liang 南涼), Northern Liang being the strongest. But the mightiest state was Wei that should reunite northern China until the late 440es. While Later Liang had administered the west as Great Protectorate of the Western Regions (Xiyu daduhu 西域大都護), Western Liang installed a Colonel of the Western Barbarians (Xiyi xiaoweifu 西夷校尉府). During these two centuries of division, each state tried to represent a whole administration area. The centers of regions (zhou 州) were often installed hundreds of kms far from their actual historical center, like the regions Xuzhou 徐州, Yanzhou 兖州,Yuzhou 豫州, Jingzhou 荊州, Binghou 並州 and Jizhou 冀州 within the territory of Later Qin (modern Shaanxi, Henan) that were actually located in modern Jiangsu, Shanxi and Hubei provinces.

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