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~~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.
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