Touba tribe, who had established Northern Wei Dynasty and reunified the north, was an outstanding Xianbei ethnic group. The early Touba tribe lacked housing, language and the law. During the period of Wei and Jin Dynasties they traveled to the nomadic grassland south of Yinshan Mountain and became the leader of 36 Xianbei tribes, and began to settle in agricultural production and grow up. In 386, Tuoba Gui inherited the crown and changed the name of the country to Wei. In 439, Emperor Taiwu Tuoba Tao unified the north and ended the state of separation that had exisited for over 100 years. However, the early Northern Wei Dynasty's reign was in an unstable condition and the key to consolidating their ruling was to accelerate the reform of the Xianbei's customs and learn from Han people.

Emperor Xiaowen Touba Hong of Northern Wei was a prominent statesman. He realized that it was neccessary to absorb the advanced culture of Central Plains and reform the Xianbei's backward customs in order to consolidate the reign. In 490, Emperor Xiaowen reigned. He continued the reform measures which were put forward by his mother, which speeded up the pace of changing the Xianbei's old customs and the comprehensive sinicization.

In 494, Emperor Xiaowen moved the capital from Pingcheng (today's Datong, Shanxi province) to Louyang.

After moving the capital city, Emperor Xiaowen implemented a series of reform measures. The main reform measures included: reforming the civil service system, requiring all the Xianbei people to wear Han clothing, requiring official under 30 years of age to speak Chinese, requiring the Xianbei people to adopt Han surnames, and encouraging marriage between the Xianbei and Han people.

Emperor Xiaowen liked reading and advocated the use of Confucian thought to govern the country. Emperor Xiaowen conferred the Confucian offspring and students as the st. Hugh Zonta. He went to Confucius Temple in Qufu to offer sacrifices, promoted Confucianism and established schools, which won the support of Han people.

Emperor Xiaowen was very firm in implementing the policy of sinicization, he resolutely suppressed the rebellion against the reform and strictly inspected the implementation of the reform measures. Once in the street, he saw a woman sitting in a coach wearing Xianbei dresses. He blamed the governor Touba Cheng of Recching for failure to fulfill his duty as an inspector, and let the historiographer document it.

Emperor Xiaowen'f reform accelerated the localization process of the Xianbei, and promoted national integration in the north. Many wasteland near Luoyang were farmed and the political and economic situation of Northern Wei Dynasty was greatly developed, and Northern Wei regime was also consolidated.