Published on Dec 14, 2012
There seems to be a lot of repetition in Chinese history. The short-lived Qin Dynasty violently united the empire and led to the Han—China's first Golden Age.
And in a similar way the Sui Dynasty, which lasted just 36 years, re-united China after almost 400 years of division, setting the stage for the Tang—the greatest of China's dynasties.
The Sui Dynasty was established in 581 AD. China had been divided since the end of the Han Dynasty in around 220 AD. After passing through the battles of the Three Kingdoms Period and the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the rulers of the Northern Wei Dynasty saw their chance to conquer "all under heaven," the Chinese term for the area considered as China at the time.
Due to multiple palace coups, the rulers of Wei ended up with the surname Sui. They conquered Sichuan in 533 AD, the North East in 577, and then set their sights on the south. The Southern campaign involved a massive naval assault with thousands of ships sailing up the Yangtze River.
And in a similar way the Sui Dynasty, which lasted just 36 years, re-united China after almost 400 years of division, setting the stage for the Tang—the greatest of China's dynasties.
The Sui Dynasty was established in 581 AD. China had been divided since the end of the Han Dynasty in around 220 AD. After passing through the battles of the Three Kingdoms Period and the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the rulers of the Northern Wei Dynasty saw their chance to conquer "all under heaven," the Chinese term for the area considered as China at the time.
Due to multiple palace coups, the rulers of Wei ended up with the surname Sui. They conquered Sichuan in 533 AD, the North East in 577, and then set their sights on the south. The Southern campaign involved a massive naval assault with thousands of ships sailing up the Yangtze River.
