The Sui Dynasty reined China during 589-618CE, succeeding Southern and Northern Dynasties, and preceded the Tang Dynasty. The beginning of the Sui Dynasty's reign was marked by the reunification of north, and southern China; with it, ending almost four centuries of struggle between rivaling regimes. Emperor Wen (AKA Yang Jian) founded the Dynasty, and establishing its capital at Chang'an (Now know as Xi'an). Although the Sui was amongst the shortest of the Chinese Dynasties, reigning for less than 40years, its achievements were many, and for that it ranked among the more important. Its reign of prosperity and peace revitalized China, and paved the foundation to China's rise to power in the 8th and 9th centuries.
**The Sui Dynasty was founded since 581, but they only started ruling the unified China in 589 **
Sui empire
(http://www.asiafinest.com/forum/lofiversion/index.php/t2992.html)
Reasons for Take-Over
The Sui Dynasty rose to power through the bloody purge from within the Zhou Dynasty, and the conquest of southern China. In 581 Wendi (Emperor Wen) deposed the child emperor of the Northern Zhou Dynasty and securing his position by killing the 59 princes of the Zhou royal house. Through a series of reform, Wendi strengthened his empire, preparing his army for the southern campaign. In 588CE, the Sui gathered 18000 troops, at arms, along the northern bank of the Yangtze. The collapsing Chen Empire could not withstand such assault; they surrendered (As the northern troops march into Jiankang, 589CE). The southern nobles were spared and escorted to the north to share their culture and knowledge. Thus China was unified under the Sui's reign.
The founder of Sui Dynasty, Emperor Wen
(http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Chen_Wendi_Tang.jpg )
Leaders of the Civilization
Throughout the Sui's short reign, there were only two Emperors, Wendi, the founder of the Sui Dynasty, and his son Yangdi, who succeeded him. Wendi reined the Sui The people of north and southern China unified shared culture and knowledge, and under Wendi's rule, became prosperous and cultured. Wandi was also known as the 'Cultured Emperor'. His son, Yangdi succeeded him in 605 and reign for 13 years until 618. Yangdi famed for his ambitious projects and foreign warfare, ultimately brought his own empire to an end. After two lost in foreign wars against a Korean state of Goguryeo, and the extensive tax prices (to pay for his ambitious projects); hastening the fall of the Sui Dynasty. Yangdi was known to put his ambitions before the well fare of his people.
Succeeding Wendi, Emperor Yangdi
(commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Sui-yangdi.jpg)
Leaders Elsewhere
Around the same time that Emperor Wendi had unified China under his rule, in Italy, Gregory I succeeded Pope Pelagius II as the pope. Gregory was born in Rome into a patrician family; Gregory was the son of a senator and the grandson of Pope Felix III.
With these powerful connections, he quickly rose to become prefect of Rome in 570. Soon after, he decided to become a monk. In 579, he was sent to the emperor in Constantinople as the representative of Pope Pelagius II to request for military aid against the Lombard (invaders settling dangerously close to Rome). In 590, Gregory returned to Rome and became the Pope. In spite of his request for military aid, none came from Constantinople, and he was forced to negotiate with them himself. In 594 he prevented a Lombard invasion of Rome by agreeing to pay annual tribute. As pope, Gregory had to administer his monks and supplies to feed the poor and protect the population near Rome (the Roman Civil Administration had almost totally collapse due to the Lombard invasion). Under his leadership, the papacy assumed political leadership in Italy. But Gregory's true greatness lies in his pastoral activities, his generosity and compassion. He died in Rome on March 12, 604.
Gregory the Great
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Gregorythegreat.jpg)
Accomplishments
Technology
The Grand Canal (Canal System) is the world's longest canal system extending in north and southern directions for 1900km. It was perhaps one of the greatest construction projects ever conducted in Sui's era. But it was certainly one of Yangdi's ambitious projects. The system of water ways making up the Grand Canal was intended to "spread the riches of the south to all of China". Unfortunately, a project of this caliber and size was a very difficult task, it paid heavily in forms of tax on the people.
Economy Government & Society
The unification of China itself did not bring about major social or economic changes, but the environment of unity and tranquility allowed the ongoing trends to flourish. The economic growth of China sprouted impressively under the Sui. This was partly due to the exploit of the newly accessible area due south of the Yangtze River. Development measures were also taken to untouched area, where millions of people from the north were fleeing there. The Grand Canal symbolized Sui's work to integrate the south's prosperity to the rest of China.
As China and its people grew to become more prosperous, their ambitions also rose in turn. In 587 the Sui started to begin holding competitions to choose men who would staff its government. This method soon developed into the Xiucai (Examination System), which tested men on their knowledge of the Confucian classics. The Examination System was open of all men status (woman barred for competing). In theory, the system looks idealistic, but in reality, it was not free of favoritism and corruption. In truth, people of better background were bound to succeed.
The Sui also tried to reduce the gap between the rich and the poor by introducing a policy known as Juntian (Equitable Field System). Under this new policy, a family is given land, not by whether they are rich or poor, but based on the number of people in each household. A family had all the rights over their given land, they can choose to use it or sell it. The only drawback would be the fact that it was seemingly impossible to gain more land.
Religion & Philosophy
During the Sui's reign, China was like a new born country. The people of north and southern part were reunited again after centuries of separation. Buddhism was a religion introduced from India in the 1st century BCE. It appealed to both nomads and native Chinese. By the time Sui had unified China, Buddhism became the most important religion, because it helped sew together the people who had grown apart in their long division.
The Sui emperors were the first to support Buddhism actively. They build and repair places of worship, give money to various sects and temples, and even consulting Buddhist scholar. Buddhism soon blossomed in China; they were able to produce their own teachers, relying on themselves not missionaries from India or elsewhere. Their Buddhist knowledge became unique; students for faraway came to China to study Buddhist, changing China into a major center for learning Buddhism.
Buddhist Sandstone
(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Buddhism)
The Sui essentially brought about its own demise through the extensive cost of foreign wars and misgovernment. Under the rule of Emperor Yangdi, the Sui Dynasty suffered from the unreasonably high tax price, which was used to pay for Yangdi's Ambitious projects. Additionally, Yangdi also led the decision to open war against the Korean state of Goguryeo, resulting in two huge lost for China. Yangdi's misjudgments and fool ambitions caused his popularity to drop sharply. In 613, a revolt broke out, but Yangdi refused to acknowledge its existence. Finally in 616, Yangdi retreated to his summer palace in Jiangdu (Chiang-tu), on the advice of his ministers. With the throne empty, the emperor absent, a number of ambitious men saw a chance to seize power. One of them, Li Yuan, a general in the Sui army succeeded in capturing the capital in the summer of 617. In the spring of the next year, Yangdi was assassinated by one of his aides, and with less than two months after Yangdi's death, Li Yuan declared himself as the new emperor and founded the Tang Dynasty. Thus the Sui Dynasty fell.
Emperor Yi Juan
(www.numismondo.com/pm/chn/tang/)
Work Cited
"Sui dynasty"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sui_dynasty 16 Jan. 2008. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia
"Sui dynasty"http://www.chinaknowledge.de/History/Tang/sui.html 16 Jan. 2008. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia
"Yangdi"commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Sui-yangdi.jpg 16 Jan. 2008. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia
"Wendi"http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Chen_Wendi_Tang.jpg 16 Jan. 2008. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia
"Sui empire"http://www.asiafinest.com/forum/lofiversion/index.php/t2992.html 16 Jan. 2008. Power invision services, inc.
"Gregory the Great"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Gregorythegreat.jpg 16 Jan. 2008. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia
"Pope Gregory I"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Gregory_I 16 Jan. 2008. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia
"Sui Buddhist" en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Buddhism16 Jan. 2008. Wikimedia Foundation, Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia
"Yi Juan"www.numismondo.com/pm/chn/tang/ 16 Jan. 2008. Garry Saint.
"Sui Dynasty"Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2007. © 1993-2006 Microsoft Corporation.16 Jan. 2008 Microsoft Encarta student 2007 dvd
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