Eastern Wei

Refers to the Chinese dynastic period and culture dating to 534 to 550 CE that was established by a former Northern Wei garrison commander, Gao Huan (496-547), and his sons. They controlled an area east of Luoyang, with their capital at Ye in southern Hebei province. Buddhism continued to be the main inspiration for the arts. The oldest stone pagoda chapel extant in China, at Shentong si at Mt. Tai, is probably Eastern Wei. Sculpture of this period has a greater rotundity than Northern Wei sculpture. The dynasty ended in 550 when Gao Huan's son Gao Yang became emperor and established the Northern Qi dynasty.