Sui+Dynasty

=**__The Sui Dynasty__**=

**__An Outline To Chapter 12!!!__**
The Sui Dynasty, one of the shortest dynasties in the history of China, lasted from 581 to 618 CE, and only had two emperors. The Sui dynasty emerged after four centuries of chaos, signaling the return of dynastic control.

Sui Dynasty Emperors:
 * 1) Emperor Wen (Born 21 July 541 – Died 13 August 604) Personal Name: Yang Jian (楊堅)
 * 2) Emperor Yang (Born 569 – Died April 11, 618) Personal Name: Yang Guang (楊廣)

__Beginning of Sui__
 * First emperor: Wendi-a member of a major north Chinese noble family.
 * Married his daughter to the ruler of the northern Zhou empire
 * After the Zhou monarch died, Wendi seized his throne and declared himself emperor.
 * Secured his power by winning the support of neighboring nomadic commanders.
 * Extended the empire across northern China.
 * 589-Wendi's victory over the Chen kingdom of south China reunited the core areas of Chinese civilization.

__Rule of Emperor Wendi and Reforms__
 * Wendi was a popular leader who united China through various methods.
 * First, he tore down the Han capital city, Chang'an, because of the large amounts of violence and disorder. After nine months of construction, he completed the new Chang'an and moved in on April 15, 583 CE.
 * To gain the favor of the general public, Wendi lowered taxes and established granaries
 * This ensured a reserve food supply in case of natural disasters.
 * Crops were taxed to keep the granaries full
 * Allowed the price of people's staple food to remain constant in times of famine.
 * After reuniting northern and southern China, Wendi set up a civil service examination which lasted until 1906.
 * Replace the military officials with civil officers
 * Promoting a bureaucracy in place of favoritism and heredity to rule. This system lasted until 1906.
 * Sui laws became a combination of Northern and Southern legal systems with four types of punishments for crimes: Death, deportation, forced labor, and beatings.
 * Officials faced with punishment could pay a monetary fine, be executed, or be stripped of their title and be reduced to a commoner.

__Death of Emperor Wendi and Rise of Emperor Yangdi__
 * In 605, Emperor Yangdi murdered his father, Emperor Wendi, and took power.
 * Accomplishments of Emperor Yangdi
 * He drove back nomadic invaders who threatened the northern frontiers of his empire
 * Ordered the constructed the Grand Canal
 * Connected the north and south by a system of waterways.
 * 1,200 miles long
 * Made it easier to trade for the people and the government
 * Strengthened the dynasty's control over China
 * Established a less severe legal code
 * Promoted Confucian education
 * Promoted the scholar-gentry in the imperial administration
 * Harmed aristocratic families and nomadic leaders

__Collapse of the Sui Dynasty__
 * Emperor Yangdi was too fond of luxury and extravagant construction projects, such as the building of palaces, a new capital city at Luoyang, and even more canals to link his empire.
 * These projects required heavy peasant labor. This made peasants very upset.
 * Emperor Yangdi angered his subjects even more by launching a series of unsuccessful wars to take Korea.
 * Not only did he fail to conquer Korea, but he was also defeated by Turkic nomads in 615.
 * Following these events, widespread revolts occurred.
 * Provinces were split up, there were robberies, and nomadic invaders started to seize parts of the north China plain.
 * The emperor escaped to his luxurious palaces in the city of Hangzhou on the Yangtze River to the south.
 * His own ministers assassinated him in 618.
 * [[image:China-Grand_canal,_Sui_and_Tang.svg.png width="389" height="420" caption="Grand Canal under the Sui and Tang Dynasties"]][[image:Grand Canal of China today.jpg caption="The Grand Canal as of today" link="@http://blog.chinatravel.net/culture-history/china-grand-canal-history.html"]]media type="youtube" key="y2DwGAiZnRM" width="560" height="315"
 * This video is helpful in learning about the Sui and Tang Dynasty.

There were 4 major reasons why Sui emperors conducted so many military operations.
 * 1) Personal wealth- loot
 * 2) Curiosity- what was beyond China's borders?
 * 3) Protection- protecting China from invaders like the northern Turks
 * 4) Expansion and gaining dominance of the new empire