Sui Dynasty

Sui dynasty (581 - 618)

 

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The Sui dynasty (581-618) was a relatively short-lived house that reunited China after long centuries of division known in history as the period of the Southern and Northern Dynasties.  The Sui Dynasty reinstalled the rule of ethnic Han Chinese along with Sinicization of former nomadic ethnic minorities in the northern territory.

While the dynastic founder, Emperor Wen, was praised by historians as the great unifier of China, his son and successor, Emperor Yang (r. 604-617), was criticized for his extravagant spending for a third capital (Jiangdu, i.e. Yangzhou) and the Grand Canal that linked the west-lying capital Chang'an to the economic and agricultural centers of the east towards Hangzhou, and to the northern border near modern Beijing. Yet both, with their administrative reforms and large-scale construction work, prepared the ground for the glory of the following Tang Dynasty (618-907).

Emperors Wen and Yang undertook various centralized reforms, most notably the equal-field system, intended to reduce economic inequality and improve agricultural productivity; the institution of the Tree Departments and Six Ministries system; and the standardization and re-unification of the coinage that had collapsed during the Northern and Southern Dynasties. They also spread and encouraged Buddhism throughout the empire. By the middle of the dynasty, the newly unified empire entered a golden age of prosperity with vast agricultural surplus that supported rapid population growth.

 

The examination system for selecting candidates for state offices was renovated, as well as the military system.

Although Emperor Wen was careful to remain loyal to both Confucianism and Taoism, he did convert to Buddhism while emperor.  This also meant that Buddhist art was in high demand as temples were created across his unified China. Buddhism lends itself greatly to sculptures that adorn Buddhist temples, and the explosion of sculptures in China under the Sui was directly related to the patronage of Buddhism by Wen and his son Yang.

After a series of costly and disastrous military campaigns against Korea that ended in defeat by 614, the dynasty disintegrated under a series of popular revolts culminating in the assassination of Emperor Yang by his ministers in 618. The dynasty, which lasted only thirty-seven years, was undermined by ambitious wars and construction projects, which overstretched its resources. Particularly, under Emperor Yang, heavy taxation and compulsory labor duties would eventually induce widespread revolts and brief civil wars following the fall of the dynasty.

The short lasting Sui dynasty is often compared to the earlier Qin dynasty for unifying China after prolonged division. While the Qin was succeeded by the glorious Han, the Sui paved the way for the "golden age" of the Tang dynasty.