One Emperor Through the Ages: The great contribution of Yang Jian, Emperor Wen of Sui
Of all the founding emperors of ancient China, one did not carry out a large-scale conquest, but took Jiangshan from the orphans and widows. The dynasty he established was also very short-lived, and he died in the second dynasty, so later generations did not have a very high opinion of him.
However, in the eyes of Western historians, he is the greatest emperor of ancient China. This emperor was not Qin Shi Huang, not Emperor Wudi of Han, but Yang Jian, the founding emperor of the Sui Dynasty, and even evaluated him as "the first emperor of the ages". The author believes that Emperor Wen of Sui's greatest contribution was to save Chinese civilization, when China was mired in chaos, and the number of Han people was greatly reduced, once to the point of ethnic minorities.
Emperor Wen of Sui ascended the throne at a small cost, restored the Han surname, followed the traditional Chinese dress since the Han and Wei dynasties, and defeated the tough Turks in a short time, and was honored by the Turks as the sage khan. The rulers of the Hu people were keen on Huhua, and Emperor Wen of Sui's ancestors were given the surname Hu for their meritorious service to assisting the Hu people, but as soon as he became emperor, he immediately restored his Han surname and practiced Sinicization.
At the same time, Emperor Wen of Sui carried out a series of fruitful reforms, and he himself advocated thrift, and the national strength was gradually restored, and the strength of the Han people was finally restored again. Without Emperor Wen of Sui's pioneering moves, there would have been no heyday of the later Tang Dynasty.
In the eyes of Westerners, Qin Shi Huang and Sui Wen Emperor were the emperors with the greatest reform in China, involving political, economic, military, social, cultural and other aspects, which had a great impact on future generations. The British "Cambridge History of China, Sui and Tang Dynasties" spoke highly of Emperor Wen of Sui: "It is equally remarkable that the Sui Dynasty eliminated the outdated and inefficient system of its predecessors, created the structure of a centralized empire, and developed a common cultural consciousness in a region that had long been politically divided." However, due to the death of the second Sui Dynasty, coupled with the deliberate suppression of Emperor Wen of Sui by the rulers of the Tang Dynasty, people's evaluation of Emperor Wen of Sui is obviously not in line with history.
For example, Emperor Taizong of Tang's evaluation of Emperor Wen of Sui was very general. Once Emperor Taizong of Tang asked Fang Xuanling and others how Emperor Wen of Sui was, and Fang Xuanling spoke highly of it, "Self-denial, thrift and thoughtfulness, every sitting in the dynasty, or the solstice." The five products have been on, and the introduction is discussed. Those who stay guarded, pass on the meal and eat. Although it is not a benevolent body, it is also the Lord of Spirit. But Emperor Taizong of Tang did not think so, he thought, "This human nature is very perceptive, but the heart is not clear." If the husband's heart is dark, it is not clear, and the most important thing is suspicious of things. To deceive and lonely people is to say that the group cannot be trusted, and everything is self-determined, although it is difficult to work, it is not reasonable. The courtiers knew the will of the superiors, but they did not dare to speak out, the prime minister had already given up, and he only endured it. "No matter how the rulers of the Tang Dynasty suppressed Emperor Wen of Sui, there was a consensus that Emperor Wen of Sui was indeed an emperor with great talent.
Emperor Wen of Sui's influence was not limited to domestic affairs, but also in foreign exchanges. Pei Shiqing, the cultural envoy of Emperor Wen of Sui, has been sent to various countries many times and became the grandson of the Tang Dynasty, which shows the high cultural level of the Sui Dynasty. At the same time, Emperor Wen of Sui also built thousands of miles of canals, which promoted the development of economy and trade.
Although the Sui Dynasty was not long-lived, the reforms of Emperor Wen of Sui had a significant impact on the salvation of Chinese civilization and the course of Chinese history. The reform model pioneered by Emperor Wen of Sui enabled the later Tang Dynasty to continue to develop and consolidate politically, militarily, economically and culturally. Emperor Wen of Sui was not only an outstanding emperor, but also a visionary politician and reformer, and his contributions should be more recognized and praised.
Resources:
1. The Cambridge History of China, Sui and Tang Dynasties, UK
2. The Old Book of Tang, History of Sui
