The southern troops under the supreme command of Hsieh Hsüan, far inferior in numbers and militarily of no great efficiency, made surprise attacks on isolated units before these were in regular formation.

The main objective was the regaining of the regions of eastern Honan, northern Anhui and Kiangsu, in which were the family seats of Huan's and the emperor's families, as well as that of the Hsieh family which also formed an important group in the court clique.

The equality of strength of the Huan and the Hsieh saved the dynasty for a time.

The successes of the southern state especially strengthened the Hsieh family, whose generals had come to the fore.

He parted from the Hsieh family, which had been closest to the emperor, and united with the Wang (the empress's) and Yin families.

The Yin had worked at first with the Hsieh, especially as the two families came from the same region, but afterwards the Yin went over to Huan Hsüan.

At first this new clique had success, but later one of its generals, Liu Lao-chih, went over to the Hsieh clique, and its power declined.

Liu Lao-chih had originally belonged to the Hsieh clique, and his family came from a region not far from that of the Hsieh.

Liu Lao-chih had originally belonged to the Hsieh clique, and his family came from a region not far from that of the Hsieh.

For a time he joined Huan Hsüan; then he went over to the Hsieh, and finally returned to Huan Hsüan in 402 when the latter reached the height of his power.

As in poetry, in painting there are strong traces of alien influences; even before the T'ang period, the painter Hsieh Ho laid down the six fundamental laws of painting, in all probability drawn from Indian practice.

Lu Wu-han yin liu ho chin hsieh (Lu Wi-han keeps an Embroidered Slipper to his scathe)