In 581, Yang insisted on becoming emperor and established the Sui Dynasty. In the impression of many people, the Sui Dynasty ruled China for only 38 short years and was a "short-lived" dynasty. Moreover, the two emperors were very cruel, and the Sui Emperor Yang Jian became suspicious in the late period of his reign, and even killed a large number of founding heroes, and deposed Yang Yong as the crown prince, and established Yang Guang as the successor. As everyone knows, his decision laid the foundation for the fall of the Sui Dynasty.
After Yang Guang ascended the throne, he was the Sui Emperor. He waged frequent wars, abused the power of the people, was extremely poor and extravagant, and practiced tyranny. His brutal rule sparked peasant uprisings across the country, and eventually the Sui Dynasty ended its rule in 619. Although the "life" of the Sui Dynasty was very short, the two emperors left three magnificent projects for future generations, some of which are still in use today.
First, Tang Chang'an City. When you hear this name, many people will mistakenly think that it was built during the Tang Dynasty, but it is not. Tang Chang'an City was called Daxing City during the Sui Dynasty, and was also built during the Sui Dynasty, and was the capital of the Sui and Tang Dynasties. At the beginning of the founding of the Sui Dynasty, the capital was in the old site of Chang'an. Due to years of war, the place has become dilapidated, and the palace is small, and drinking water is also a big problem. Therefore, Yang resolutely decided to build a new capital city.
In early 582, Yang Jian ordered Yuwen Kai to be responsible for the design and construction of Daxing City. He designed a unique construction plan based on the Northern Wei city of Luoyang and the southern city of Northern Qi. Previously, the structure of the capital city had no rules and no layout, resulting in staggered and disorganized palaces, residences, and official offices. However, the streets of Daxingcheng are uniform, staggered from north to south, well-organized, and the east-west layout forms symmetry and becomes orderly. Not only safe, but also practical. Daxing City was the most magnificent city in the world at that time, with its planning layout and the most standardized scale, showing the superb level of the ancients in architectural design.
Second, chi road. Qin Shi Huang built the earliest "national highway" in the history of the mainland, Chi Dao, and in the second year of the establishment of the Qin Dynasty, he ordered the construction of Chi Dao to all parts of the country with Xianyang as the center. Unfortunately, Qin Shi Huang had not yet fulfilled this wish and died. Within a few years of the succession of Qin II as emperor, the state of Qin collapsed. As the saying goes, if you want to be rich, first build roads. Yang Guang also understood this truth, so in 607 he ordered the construction of a chi road from today's Yulin to Beijing. With a total length of 3,000 miles, it has improved the traffic situation in the north and provided opportunities to promote economic and cultural exchanges between the two places and cities along the road. At the same time, it also laid the groundwork for China's reconquest of Goguryeo.
Third, the Grand Canal. From the pre-Qin to the Southern and Northern Dynasties, out of necessity, the ancients dug a large number of canals, almost throughout most of China. The canals in all directions laid the foundation for the excavation of the Sui and Tang Grand Canals for later generations. From 605 to 610, Yang Guang recruited millions of laborers to build the Grand Canal. During this period, many people were overwhelmed and paid for their lives. The Sui-Tang Grand Canal runs through the richest north China Plain and the southeast coastal area of the mainland, spanning 8 provinces, and is the main artery of north-south transportation in ancient China. With the river, the economy and culture along the coast further developed, and gradually became one of the richest areas in the country. To this day, the Grand Canal is of great significance to China.
Although the two emperors of the Sui Dynasty did not have a good reputation, their contributions to China were indelible.