• The Sui Dynasty lasted from 589-618 AD
• The Sui rulers, emperor Wen and his son Yang, reunified china in less than forty years
• They reestablished Confucianism
• Buddhism exerted a strong political influence along with Daoism, Nestorian Christianity, and Islam
• The capital was named Chang’an in honor of the old Han capital
• Built the 1,100 mile Grand Canal linking Yellow River and the Yangzi River
• Improved the Great Wall
• Constructed irrigation systems in the Yangzi Valley
• The land equalization system, which was initiated to reduce the rich-poor social gap, resulted in enhanced agricultural productivity
• Governmental power was centralized and the Three Departments and Six Ministries system was officially instituted, creating a very stable government
• Yang took over when his father died, but soon overextended himself. He sent expeditions to Korea, which started wars that bankrupted the government. Eventually Yang was assassinated and Li Yuan took over to start the Tang Dynasty