The Sui Dynasty

The Sui Dynasty was a Chinese dynasty that unified China in the 6th century. It was preceded by the Northern and Southern dynasties and was followed by the Tang Dynasty. The Sui Dynasty began around 580 C.E. and ended in 618 C.E. The Sui Dynasty was founded by Yang Chien (Emperor Wendi Ti) and his son Emperor Yangdi. Among Wendi’s first acts were the full restoration of rights to Buddhists and the rehabilitation of there clergy. Emperor Wendi also ended the suppression of Daoism. Their capital was at Luoyang. He reunified Southern and Northern China and began the construction of the Grand Canal. The Grand Canal was extended north from Hangzhou, across the Yangzi to Yangzhou and then northwest to the region of Luoyang. The dynasty began when Emperor Wendi's daughter became the Empress Dowager of Northern Zhou, along with her stepson as the new emperor. After defeating an army in the eastern provinces as the prime minister of Zhou, Wendi took the throne by force and proclaimed himself emperor. Emperor Wendi then initiated a series of reforms aimed at strengthening his empire for the wars that would accomplish the reunification of China. Beginning in the southern, he assembled thousands of boats to confront the naval forces of the Chen Dynasty on the Yangtze River. Most of his ships were very tall, having five layered decks and the capacity for 800 passengers. Besides Xianbei and other Chinese ethnic groups joining him for the fight against Chen, Emperor Wendi also received the service of aborigines from southeastern Sichuan, a civilization that Sui had recently conquered. During 588 C.E., the Sui had amassed around 518,000 troops along the northern bank of the Yangtze River, stretching from southeastern Sichuan to the Pacific Ocean. All the while, the Chen Dynasty was collapsing and could not put up with such an assault. By 589 C.E., many Sui troops invaded Jiankang (Nanjing) and the last emperor of the southern Chen dynasty resigned. The city was demolished