Sui Dynasty
The
Sui Dynasty (;
581-
618) followed the
Southern and Northern Dynasties and preceded the
Tang Dynasty in
China. It ended nearly four centuries of division between rival regimes.
The Sui Dynasty, founded by
Emperor Wen, or Yang Jian, held its capital at
Chang'an (present-day
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 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.
Buddhism was popular during the
Six Dynasties period that preceded the Sui dynasty, spreading from India through
Kushan Afghanistan into China during the Late
Han period. Buddhism gained prominence during the period, when central political control was limited. Buddhism created a unifying cultural force that uplifted the people out of war and into the Sui Dynasty. In many ways, Buddhism was responsible for the rebirth of culture in China under the Sui.
The Sui Dynasty began when
Wendi entered a marriage alliance with the daughter of a ruler of the northern Zhou empire. Sensing power, Wendi took the throne by force and claimed himself to be emperor. He won the support of the nomads by recognizing their titles at the loss of support from the Confucian scholars that had powered previous dynasties. With their support, Wendi expanded the northern empire. An improvement he made during his rule was establishing granaries as sources of food and as a means to regulate market prices from the taxation of crops.
Yangdi gained the throne after his father's death (possibly by murder). He further extended the empire, but, unlike his father, he did not seek to gain support from the nomads. Instead, he restored
Confucian education and the Confucian examination system for bureaucrats. By supporting educational reforms, he lost the support of nomads. He also started many expensive construction projects such as the
Grand Canal of China. This combined with his failed invasions into
Korea (with Chinese casualties exceeding well over 2 million in all the wars combined), invasions into China from Turkic nomads, and his growing life of decadent luxury at the expense of the peasantry, he lost public support and was assassinated by his own ministers.
Main article: Goguryeo-Sui Wars
Arguably, the biggest factor that led to the downfall of Sui Dynasty was the numerous expeditions into the
Korean Peninsula, by invading
Goguryeo, one of the
Three Kingdoms of Korea. In one of the biggest war—the soldiers, both conscripted and paid, listed over 3000 warships, 1.15 million infantry, 50,000 cavalry, 5000 artillery, etc. and just as much support laborers and a very expensive military budget including mounds of equipment and rations (which most of the time never reached the Chinese avant-guard for they were captured by Goguryeo armies already) The war that conscripted the most soldiers was caused by Sui Yangdi. The army was so enormous it was actually recorded in historical texts that it took 30 days for all the armies to exit their last rallying point near
Shanhaiguan before invading Korea. The army stretched to "1000 lis (a Chinese unit of length), or about 410 kilometers, across rivers and valleys, over mountains and hills."
In all 4 main campaigns the military conquest ended in utter failure. Often the number of returning soldiers were, at most, below 0.5% of the original headcount. Soldiers in summer conquests would return several years later, barely living through the cold and famishing winter. Many died of frostbite and hunger, due to remarkable tactics and defending capability (that is, waiting the enemy out so the harsh winter could kill them) of their adversary. Still much more were killed by the famed archers of Korea, with records showing they were able to shoot arrows with suk-gung (Korean bow, possibly crossbows) as far as 2000 feet (600 m).
Such was the dramatic losses that every time the Sui emperors ordered conscriptions of soldiers to be sent to invade Korea, people would go into hiding in fear. Eventually the sentiment for the emperor decreased, causing unhappy civilians to form massive riots to overthrow the Sui Emperor.
Some colorful stories of the Sui Dynasty can be found under
Legends of the Sui DynastyBingham, Woodbridge (1941).
The Founding of the T'ang Dynasty: The Fall of the Sui and Rise of the T'ang. Baltimore: Waverly Press.
Wright, Arthur F. (1978).
The Sui Dynasty. New York, Alfred A. Knopf.
*
Chinese Sovereign*
Grand Canal of China*
History of Korea
