Sui - (581-618)

In 581 A.D. a descendent of aristocratic warriors in the north, Yang Jian , overthrew the last of the Zhou emperors and declared the foundation of the Sui dynasty, proclaiming himself emperor (Wendi 581-604) and settling his capital in Chang'an. It was Yang Jian who negotiated peace treaties with the foreigners massed along the northeastern borders and undertook a military campaign to overthrow the last of the Six Dynasties, the Ch'en. In 589 he completed the unification of both the Northern and Southern dynasties and firmly established the Sui Dynasty as the first empire controlling all of China in over 370 years.

While Wendi was an exceptional general and able administrator his son Yang Guang (Yangdi) squandered the empire's resources on palaces and gardens built on the scale of Versailles and on immense publice works. His construction of a long section of the Grand Canal linked his northern and southern capitel and employed the labor of over 5 million men, women and children. The decline of the Sui dynasty is intimately linked to the enormous sums spent by Yangdi on luxurious projects for his own personal benefit. This lavish lifestyle combined with 4 disastrous wars with Korea caused his long-suffering subjects to revolt. The feudal family of Li was one of the leaders of this revolt and its patriarch, Li Yuan, joined in the insurrection, causing the collapse of the Sui dynasty in 618.

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