Since the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, wars have been raging in the north and the south has been relatively stable. A large number of northerners emigrated to the south.

The Jin Dynasty crossed the south and the Western Jin Dynasty perished, which is called "Yongjia Rebellion" in history. Under the double oppression of class and nationality, the people of the Central Plains crossed the Huaihe River to the south, resulting in the first large-scale population migration in the history of China. The second climax of the migration of the Central Plains population to the south occurred after the Tang Anshi Rebellion.

Northerners may have brought a lot of labor, advanced production tools and farming techniques to the south first, which promoted the development of Jiangnan.