Yes, Northern Wei had a very explicit Sinification attempt, and is still viewed as having one, it's about as blatant as you can get. None the less, how it is viewed has shifted, and I think there has been greater understanding of simultaneous Xianbei-ification, on complicated interactions between Xianbei and Chinese, as well as the long term impact it had on the Chinese world. One thing I struggle with quite a bit is it's clear that not all Chinese were okay with this, but they didn't really have a choice, the Xianbei were too powerful, talking out would (and did) get you killed. This isn't really reflected in western sources I've seen, but complicates things as well, in ways I don't really know how to address.

It's successes and failures are quite complicated, as are identities in this period, I did my best here 😅

#The Early Northern Wei

Northern Wei was founded by the Tuoba Xianbei (named after a semi-mythical founder), a branch of the Xianbei that had, in all likelihood, originated in the forested fringes of what is now eastern Inner Mongolia, then moved into Mongolia, possibly picking up other groups such as the remnants of the Xiongnu along the way. The lack of strong primogeniture led to the failures of several Xianbei led states, until following the collapse of Former Qin, where as first the state of Dai and then Wei, they gradually conquered northern China. At this time, various other non Han groups were very prominent throughout northern China, in Guanzhong, the area around the old capital Chang'an, perhaps half the population.

The Wei capital was established at Pingcheng, at modern day Datong, in northern Shanxi. Large scale population transfers populated this new capital. People from many groups, from defeated Gaoche tribes to Han farmers were forcibly transferred to either the city itself or the surrounding area, which would grow to somewhere between 800,000 to over a million people. Tuoba Gui, despite having received critical help from Xianbei tribes, would dissolve the tribes to increase his power. This would create a broad Xianbei warrior elite, based around the capital, but with garrisons throughout the country. An inner court was established from this group, comprising a small group of mostly Xianbei around the emperor, who would be both a layer between him and the rest of the bureaucracy, and a trusted source of both civilian and military leadership.

Lacking a strong bureaucracy, early Wei rule was fairly indirect. Northern Wei distributed slaves, serfs, and land to its warrior aristocracy, and in alliances with local Han and other elite, who had their own fortified manor strongholds and slaves and serfs. This would form the basis for Wei power: warriors drawn from Xianbei formed the core, with large forces drawn from other non Han groups as well as occasional support from conscripted Han. Taxation and this conscription fell on the small free holding population left, pushing more of them to seek protection of aristocrats and entrenching the manorial economy.

Early relations between Xianbei, Han, and other ethnic groups were often tense. As the state was being founded, many Han had to be forced into administrative roles in the capital, on one case the emperor sent riders to hunt down a prominent literati who was trying to flee. Sporadic executions of Han elite who are a little too outspoken about their dislike of the Xianbei litter the records of early Northern Wei, multiple for speaking against forced marriages with Xianbei noble families and theirs, and one case where, when on campaign, Tuoba Gui asked a local aristocrat where food could be found. The local replied that he had read that owls eat mulberries, perhaps he could go to the local mulberry grove, the implication that Xianbei are animals got him executed. This dislike was often mutual, and extended beyond Xianbei/Han relations. When besieging a southern dynasty city, one Northern Wei emperor wrote to the defenders that his soldiers belonged to various ethnic groups, he didn't care how many he died as each person the defenders killed would be ridding his country of thieves and bandits.

At the same time, even at the beginning not everyone hated each other, plenty of Han served willingly and plenty of Xianbei respected them. These relations would improve over time as Northern Wei rule stabilized and their legitimacy improved. There are indications throughout, but by the end, as both Wei and the Southern Liang were disintegrating, there was, for the first time, migration and widespread defection from southern Han controlled lands to the north. That was a long ways off though.

On a cultural level, Han and Xianbei would influence each other from the beginning. The Northern Wei would conduct sacrifices to Tengri at Pingcheng every year, but were quickly influenced by Buddhism and Daoism. The first of the Three Disasters of Wu, where emperorers with Wu in their title purged Buddhism, happened under Emperor Taiwu, a devout Daoist, who would purge Buddhism as a malign foreign influence, only for this policy to be reversed under his heir. Increasing numbers of Xianbei were learning Chinese and Chinese classics. The reverse was also true. Dairy entered the diet of Han at a large scale for the first time, Xianbei clothing fashions were adopted, and some Han were increasingly Xianbei in culture. This happened on the family norms and structures as well, as I detailed in my way too long post here.

Northern Wei came after the 16 kingdoms period, so many of these trends were older. For example, the Murong Xianbei states of Yan had quite a mixed elite, with cultural exchange as well. One of their preeminent families, the Feng, were heavily Xianbei influenced Han, who still maintained knowledge of Han classics. The manorial system of rule was inherited from the chaos of the 16 kingdoms, with the reformed Xianbei no longer tribal, but still kind of running things through plunder and random exactions, ruling elite laid over it.

What did this add up to? A complicated mess, mostly, but one I find the large contours of quite sympathetic. People hated and borrowed from and respected random parts of other peoples cultures. The dominant Xianbei were perfectly happy to kill any Han who got too uppity, or throw away lives of other groups assaulting cities. There was not a one way Sinification process-yet.