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The Chinese Dynasties

Sui Dynasty

 

Sui Dynasty
The History of Sui Dynasty

~~The Sui Dynasty (Hanyu Pinyin: suª ch¢o, 581-618) followed the Southern and Northern Dynasties and preceded the Tang Dynasty in China. It ended nearly four centuries of rule by warlords.

The Sui Dynasty, founded by Emperor Wen, or Yang Jian, held its capital at Chang'an (present Xi'an). It was marked by the reunification of Southern and Northern China and the construction of the Grand Canal, though it was a relatively short Chinese dynasty. It saw various reforms by Emperors Wen and Yang: the land equalization system, initiated to reduce the rich-poor social gap, resulted in enhanced agricultural productivity; governmental power was centralized, and coinage was standardized and unified; defense was improved, and the Great Wall was expanded. Buddhism was also spread and encouraged throughout the empire, uniting the varied people and cultures of China.

This dynasty has often been compared to the earlier Qin Dynasty in tenure and the ruthlessness of its accomplishments. The Sui dynasty's early demise was attributed to the government's tyrannical demands on the people, who bore the crushing burden of taxes and compulsory labor. These resources were overstrained in the completion of the Grand Canal--a monumental engineering feat-- and in the undertaking of other construction projects, including the reconstruction of the Great Wall. Weakened by costly and disastrous military campaigns against Korea in the early seventh century, the dynasty disintegrated through a combination of popular revolts, disloyalty, and assassination.

The Sovereigns of Sui Dynasty


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Sui Dynasty 581-618
Posthumous Names ( Shi Hao ) Personal Names Period of Reigns Era Names (Nian Hao )and their according range of years
Convention: "Sui" + posthumous name
Wen Di wen2 di4
yang2 jian1
581-604
Kaihuang (kai1 huang2) 581-600

Renshou (ren2 shou4) 601-604

Yang Di yang2 di4
yang2 guang3
605-617
Daye (da4 ye4) 605-617
Gong Di gong1 di4
yang2 you4
617-618
Yining (yi4 ning2) 617-618
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