Culture flourished, and Indian Sanskrit scriptures were being translated by the Kuchean monk and translator Kumarajiva (344-413 CE), himself the son of a man from Kashmir and a Kuchean mother. The southern kingdoms of Shan-shan and Jushi (Turfan and Jiahe) asked for Chinese assistance in countering Kucha and its neighbour Karashar. The Chinese general Lü Guang was sent with a military force by Emperor Fu Jian (357-385) of the Former Qin Dynasty (351-394). Lu-Guang obtained the surrender of Karashar and conquered Kucha in 383 CE. Lu-Guang mentioned the powerful armour of Kuchaen soldiers, a type of Sasanian chainmail and lamellar armour which can also be seen in the paintings of the Kizil Caves: