Sui Dynasty
Started from 581 and ended in 618, the Sui Dynasty lasted for only 38 years and had only three emperors.
At the end of the Northern and Southern Dynasties (386 – 589), the whole nation had undergone a long period of division. People who had endured sufferings of war were longing for the unification but neither the Northern Dynasties nor Southern Dynasties realized this goal.
In Northern Zhou Dynasty (557 – 581), Yang Jian, who was born to the noble class and was the Chengxiang (Prime Minister) of the last emperor, monopolized the political and military power and suppressed the separatist forces as well as some other royal forces. In 581, Yang Jian replaced Northern Zhou with Sui and proclaimed himself Emperor Wen. Thus the Sui Dynasty was founded, with Chang´an (currently Xian) the capital and Luoyang the auxiliary capital. In 589, the Sui Court defeated the last of the Southern Dynasties, Chen, and unified the whole nation.
The decline of the Sui Dynasty started from the second monarch, Emperor Yang, who was a typical tyrant. His reputation was that of a son who lacked respect for his parents, committed patricide and usurped the throne.
Emperor Yang led a luxurious and corrupt life. Upon gaining the throne, he employed two million laborers to build the second capital city of Luoyang and was even reputed to have cruised along the river in a large dragon ship, with thousands of ships following in attendance.
map of Sui Dynasty
Craving greatness and success, Emperor Yang also waged war against Gaoli (currently Korea). Both burdensome military service and heavy corvee labor forced peasants to leave their farmland. Later, famine was common and caused by the resulting desolation leaving all the countryside in extreme misery.
In 611, peasants from Mt. Changbaishan in Shandong began a rebellion. Before long, rebels from all over the country formed into several powerful groups. Among them, the main military force was called the Wagang Army which was led by Zhai Rang and Li Mi. The force captured the granary of the Sui Court and issued the food to the peasants.
As a result, the regime of the Sui Dynasty became rather unstable and in 618, when Emperor Yang was strangled by one of his subordinates, it completely collapsed.
With the tyrannical second emperor – Emperor Yang, the Sui Dynasty was often compared to the Qin Dynasty (221 BC – 206 BC). However, the whole nation was reunified and certain economic and political advances were achieved in the period.
Emperor Wen contributed a lot to Chinese history during this period, namely the reform of official systems. He abolished the six-officials system adopted by the Northern Zhou and replaced it with three departments and six boards — a system that was retained by the Tang and acquired by Japan during the reform. The Sui Emperor also implemented the system of imperial examinations to replace the Wei-Jin system, where local officials were selected based on the recommendation of prefects. This system was hailed as a great achievement that was more impartial and reasonable than the previous ones, enabling more talented people to assume official careers.
Sui Dynasty costumes
During the reign of Emperor Yang, the Grand Canal was constructed — a water transport artery that helped promote economic development and unify the country.