Grade 7 Araling Panlipunan Asia Part 1

1. Sino si Sui Wendi?
Grade 7
Araling Panlipunan
Asia

2. • Emperor Wen of Sui (隋文帝; 21 July 541 – 13
August 604), personal name Yang Jian (楊堅),
Xianbei name Puliuru Jian (普六茹堅), nickname
Naluoyan (那羅延), was the founder and first
emperor of China's Sui Dynasty (581–618 AD). He
was a hard-working administrator and a
micromanager. As a Buddhist, he encouraged the
spread of Buddhism through the state. He is
regarded as one of the most important emperors
in Chinese history, reunifying China in 589 after
centuries of division since the fall of Western Jin
Dynasty in 316. During his reign began the
construction of the Grand Canal.

3. • As a Northern Zhou official, Yang Jian served with
apparent distinction during the reigns of Emperor
Wu of Northern Zhou and Emperor Xuan of
Northern Zhou. When the erratic Emperor Xuan
died in 580, Yang, as his father-in-law, seized
power as regent. After defeating the general
Yuchi Jiong, who resisted him, he seized the
throne for himself, establishing the new Sui
Dynasty (as its Emperor Wen). He was the first
Chinese to rule North China after the Xianbei
invasion which conquered that area from the Liu
Song dynasty (not counting the brief reconquest
of that region by Emperor Wu of Liang).

4. • Generally speaking, Emperor Wen's reign was a
great period of prosperity not seen since the Han
Dynasty. Economically, the dynasty prospered. It
was said that there was enough food stored for
50 years. The military was also powerful. At the
beginning of his reign, Sui faced the threat of
Tujue to the north, and neighbored Tibetan tribes
to the west, Goguryeo in the northeast, and
Champa (Linyi) threatening the south. By the end
of Emperor Wen's reign, Tujue had split into an
eastern and a western kaganate, the eastern one
being nominally submissive to Sui, as was
Goguryeo. Champa was defeated and, while not
conquered, did not remain a threat.

5. • Emperor Wen is also famous for having the
fewest number of concubines for an adult
Chinese emperor. (Emperor Fei of Western Wei
and the Ming dynasty Hongzhi Emperor were the
only two perpetually monogamous Chinese
emperors.) Emperor Wen was known for having
only two concubines (although he might have had
additional concubines not documented by
traditional historians), with whom he might not
have had sexual relations until after the death in
602 of his wife Empress Dugu Qieluo, whom he
loved and respected deeply.