The Sui Dynasty

By the end of the Southern and Northern Dynasties，China had undergone disunity and chaos for about 270 years.In 577，the Northern Zhou（557-581）conquered the Northern Qi（50-577）and reunified north China.Then in 581，Emperor Wen（541-604），who reigned the Northern Zhou，founded the Sui Dynasty（581-618），and held its capital at Chang’an（present-day Xi’an）.After the founding of the Sui Dynasty，the emperor carried out a series of military steps to unify the whole country quickly.Finally in 589，Emperor Wen wiped out the Chen Dynasty（557-589）and reunified the south and the north.

At the beginning of the Sui Dynasty，Emperor Wen adopted many policies to strengthen his regime.In order to grasp the central authorities，the Sui Dynasty re-established the centralized administrative system.5 They set up the system of“Three Departments and Six Ministries”，placing under its supervision all state affairs.In addition，Emperor Wen abolished the privilege of the noble families，and adopted the Imperial Examination System for the selection and appointment of civil servants instead，which later would be used by successive Chinese dynasties for over 1，300 years.

Another notable achievement in the Sui Dynasty is the excavation of the Grand Canal.To improve means of transport between the south and the north，the construction of theGrand Canal was commenced.This great project connected the Yellow River with the Yangtze River and had the effect of greatly increasing cultural and economic exchange between the two areas.

The Sui Dynasty was one of the short-lived dynasties，which lasted for only 38 years with two generations.Its early demise was attributed to the government’s tyrannical demands on the people，who couldn’t bear the crushing burden of taxes and compulsory labor.These resources were overstrained in the completion of the Grand Canal-a monumental engineering feat-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 7th century，the dynasty disintegrated through a combination of popular revolts，disloyalty，and assassination.In 618，Emperor Yang（569-618）was murdered in Jiangdu by one of his guards.

Quickly，Li Yuan（566-635）became the new emperor and established his own dynasty in Chang’an the Tang Dynasty.

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