Since the Yongji Rebellion in the Western Jin Dynasty, northern China has been in a state of war. It was not until 439 AD that Tuoba unified the north, ending the long-term chaotic situation, which was called the Northern Wei Dynasty or the Post-Wei Dynasty in history. After the Northern Wei Dynasty, it was divided into the Eastern Wei Dynasty and the Western Wei Dynasty, then the Northern Qi Dynasty replaced the Eastern Wei Dynasty and the Northern Zhou Dynasty replaced the Western Wei Dynasty. In 577 AD, the Northern Zhou Dynasty destroyed the Northern Qi Dynasty and the North was reunified. From the Northern Wei Dynasty to the Yishu Zhou Dynasty, it was called the Northern Dynasty in history because it was opposite to the Southern Dynasties such as Song, Qi, Liang and Chen.
Because the Northern Dynasties buried coins again, the wind of Japanese Buddhism prevailed, so the wind of carving monuments was extremely prosperous and connected with the Eastern Han Dynasty. The calligraphy of inscriptions in the Northern Dynasties, with drums in the Northern Wei Dynasty and the Eastern Wei Dynasty as rich officials, has various styles. Kang Youwei praised his "ten beauties" in Two Boats of Light and Righteousness: "One is bold, the other is muddy, the third is vigorous brushwork, the fourth is bold and rough painting, the fifth is fantastic interest, the sixth is full of energy, the seventh is full of interest, the eighth is dripping with blood, the ninth is natural structure, and the tenth is rich in flesh and blood." After the advocacy of calligraphers in Qing Dynasty such as Kang Youwei, the calligraphy of the Northern Dynasties shone brilliantly in Qing Dynasty, and "Weibei" became synonymous with calligraphy.
Inscriptions in the Northern Dynasties can be divided into four categories: inscriptions, epitaphs, carved inscriptions and cliff carvings.
There were not many prisons in the inscriptions of the Northern Dynasties. In the early days, the steles such as Zhongyue Gaoling Temple and Diaobigan were ghostwritten by farmers, and the style was Gu Zhuo and coarse; In the middle and late period, represented by Zhang Menglong and Jia Sibo, the style is peculiar and dignified.