Sui Dynasty
The Sui Dynasty, which lasted from 581 to 618 AD, was a significant period in Chinese history that marked the reunification of China after centuries of fragmentation. Founded by Emperor Wendi, who initially gained power by displacing his infant grandson, the dynasty is notable for implementing various reforms aimed at strengthening the economy and governance. Wendi's policies included land distribution, tax relief for peasants, currency stabilization, and the reinstitution of civil service selection, which contributed to a more efficient administration. Despite these achievements, Wendi's later years were marked by paranoia and violence, leading to his assassination by his son, Emperor Yang Di.
Yang Di continued his father's ambitious projects, notably completing the Grand Canal and enhancing the Great Wall, but his extravagant spending and military campaigns, particularly against Korea, strained the dynasty's resources. His reign faced significant challenges, culminating in his assassination in 618 AD, which paved the way for the establishment of the Tang Dynasty by Li Yuan. The Sui Dynasty, though short-lived, set the stage for the cultural and political developments of the subsequent Tang period, leaving a lasting impact on Chinese history.
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Sui Dynasty
Related civilization: China.
Date: 581-618 c.e.
Locale: Luoyang, China
Sui Dynasty
Wendi, a general to the last Northern Wei emperor, married his daughter to the emperor. When that emperor died, his infant grandson became emperor, but Wendi chose to displace his grandson and conquer the weak neighboring states, thereby founding the Sui (swee) Dynasty. Emperor Wendi began well with land distribution, peasant tax relief, currency stabilization, limited military service, standardized weights and measures, law softening and simplification, and reinstitution of civil service selection. His personal frugality led to such governmental saving that during his twenty-five-year reign, he gathered enough grain and cloth to protect against fifty years of crop failures. In the end, he became paranoid and executed many subordinates and their families before being assassinated (604 c.e.) by his son, Emperor Yang Di.
Before being named heir, Yang Di appeared to be obedient, kind, frugal, and diligent. Yang Di completed his father’s building of the Grand Canal, created a more defensible capital at Luoyang, built thousands of ships to ply inland waterways, and rebuilt the deteriorated Great Wall. These expensive projects were compounded by his latter-day personal licentiousness and his many conquests of Vietnam, Mongolia, and Turkestan. His three disastrous Korean campaigns consumed much of the wealth his father had accumulated. Li Yuan, an aide, assassinated Yang Di (618 c.e.) and founded the three-hundred-year Tang Dynasty.
Bibliography
Heinz, Carolyn Brown. Asian Cultural Traditions. Prospect Heights, Ill.: Waveland, 2000.
Murphey, Rhoads. A History of Asia. New York: Longman, 2000.