魏晉時期，有很多附塞各族與漢族雜居。漢族統治階級，也往往以外族為兵，有時是出於自願，有時是出於強制。內徙的各族，在生活上，普遍陷於悲慘的境地。漢族大地主擁有很多土地，於是就以外族人民充當佃客，有些甚至被漢族統治者掠賣為奴隸。有時亦為地方官吏豪右所徭役。他們痛苦生活，使他們心中對漢族的統治階級產生了強烈的階級仇恨，他們與魏晉政權之間存在著民族與階級的雙重矛盾。 此時，西晉宗王奪權殺戮，惠地失馭，寇盜蜂起，五胡人民在嚴重壓迫下，聚集族人反叛，進行對司馬晉政權的反抗是很自然的。五胡皆暴虐，以胡羯為甚，而胡羯之中，又以石虎為甚，極盡縱恣殺戮之能事。在戰爭掠奪中，若遇到抵抗，即進行極為殘酷的大屠殺。瘋狂的屠殺到處在進行；由於戰爭、報復，也由於統殘殺狂，常常有幾萬以至幾十萬的生命集體犧牲。自318年，二趙分裂，十餘年間，并州、司州、雍州、秦州都成胡羯的殺戮戰場，百姓死亡，邑野蕭條。二趙掠奪人口是項重要政策，將被征服的各族人民遷到自己的政治中心，首都所在地。由於區域的分裂與各族中心地區之不一致，於是從西遷東，又從東遷西，完全視當時的統治者做怎樣的打算。劉淵、劉聰時期曾經將各族人民集中到平陽及其周圍，劉曜將甘肅以及陜北氐羌集中到長安；石勒又將平陽、長安及其附近的氐羌各族遷到黃河下游魏趙地區。冉閔在消滅石趙政權以後，欲驅逐內徙的邊疆各族的勢力於趙魏地區之外，結果是「諸夏紛亂，無復農者。」邑野蕭條，千里無煙。

At the earliest stage of the Epoch of the Sixteen Kindoms (304-352), the Xiongun nobleman Liu Yuan established the kindom of Han, known as Liu Yuan regime, but later rernamed Chao, historically known as Former Chao (Earlier Chao). Its capital was Pingyang, located in what is now south Shansi. In A.D. 319, the regime changed the location for its capital to Chang'an, and ruled the western parts of north China, including Yong Zhou, Qin Zhou, and a few parts of Liang Zhou. At the same time, the Later Chao Dynasty was established by a Jie tribe man, named Shih Lo, in A.D. 319. Its capital was Xiangguo. In A.D. 335, the regime changed the location for its capital to the city of Yeh. The Later Chao occupied the estern parts of north China, including Si, Yan, Yu, Ji, Bing, You and Qing Zhous. In A.D. 308 the Hun Han launched its first attack on Loyang, the captial of Western Chin, in A.D. 309 the second attack renewed, and Liu Yuan died in the following year. His son Liu Chaun succeeded to the throne, and launched a series of attacks. In A.D. 311 Loyand fell, in A.D. 316 Chang'an the second capital fell too, this is the collapse of Western Chin Dynasty. In A.D. 324 battles were fought between Former Chao and the Later Chao, and in A.D. 329 the whole of Former Chao was annexed by Shih Lo. At the height of its power, the Later Chao occupied what are now Hebei, Henan, Shandong, Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces as well as parts of Gansu, Jiangsu, Anhui, Hubei, Liaoning provinces, making itself almost the largest of the Sixteen States. The Huns are barbarous; the Jies are even more barbarous. Learders of Later Chao, Shih Lo (320-333) and Shih Hu (334-349) had slaughtered a lot of Chinese people. Among the various tribes (nations), there were fearful combats and slaughters for almost half century (304-352). More than several hundred thousand people became homeless, starving and disease-stricken. Both sides of the Yellow river were severely devastated, so that the agriculture, industry and economy had come to a recession.