ABSTRACT
The period of the Two Jin and the Southern and Northern Dynasties can be divided into the Western Jin Dynasty, the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the Sixteen Kingdoms Period, and the Northern and Southern Dynasties. As an important part of Chinese culture in this period, sports including the military skills, instrument sports, recreational sports, Folk Festival Games, and Health preservation and sports exhibited a special development trend. Archery was popular amongst the gentry, and often passed down from one generation to the next. Although the Jin and Northern Dynasties were an era of turmoil and division, it was an era of ideological liberation and individuality. The advocating of instant gratification spread among the aristocrats during this period as sports developed and became popularized as entertainment. The level of sports was regarded as an important basis to measure the level of the martial arts examination, which also affected the literary creation of the Tang and Song Dynasties.
