Battle of Fei River
Detailed information on Tao Yuanming's younger years are not known, although it is safe to say that they were lived in a difficult environment. When he would have been eighteen or nineteen, occurred the invasion by the state of Former Qin (ruled by an ethnically "Hu" dynasty) and the events culminating in the Battle of Fei River (383), which after great risk to the existence of Eastern Jin, resulted in against odds gains of territory north of Yangzi river, also whetting Eastern Jin appetites for reconquering the former northern territories. Many events would occur during Tao Yuanming's lifetime, including two revolts leading to usurpation of the throne, and eventually, in his old age, the overthrow of Eastern Jin.