 Yuan Shanjian was Yuan Dan's oldest son, and was his heir apparent.In 534, Emperor Xiaowu, a cousin of Yuan Shanjian's father Yuan Dan, seeking to resist the control of the paramount general Gao Huan, entered into an alliance with independent generals Yuwen Tai and Heba Sheng (賀拔勝).When Gao, in response, marched toward the capital Luoyang, Emperor Xiaowu fled to Yuwen's territory.