Sui, Tang, Song, and Yuan Empires

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Change Over Time Essay During the time period of 300-1300 CE, the Sui, Tang, Song, and Yuan empires had all come to power in China. All of which contributed to the changes and continuities that occurred in China during that time period. The Sui Empire (581-618 C.E.) of China was very important because it sprang from the political diversity of the period of disunion. After the fall of the Han Empire there was a vacuum of political instability. In less than forty years the Sui rulers reunified China. They reestablished Confucianism as the central philosophy of government. The Sui period is also distinctive because of the strong political influence of Buddhism. The accomplishments of the Sui Empire were the 1,100 mile Grand Canal that linked the Yellow River in Northern China with the Yangzi River in Southern China. This facilitated the communication and trade in the growing population centers in the South. The Sui Empire also made improvements to the Great Wall and constructed irrigation systems that facilitated the growth in the Yangzi River Valley. They also waged massive military campaigns against Korea and Vietnam. The Sui Empire was not able to maintain their authority in China because they could not support the massive undertakings in military expansion and public works that was required. This overextension led to the transition to the Tang Empire. The changes in this period of Chinese history was the reunification of China, and the massive public works projects that they undertook including the Grand Canal, irrigation projects and improvements to the Great Wall. The continuity that took place during this era was a return to the Confucian state philosophy and the strong political influence of the Buddhist philosophy. In 618 the powerful Li family ended Sui rule and created the Tang Empire. The Tang Empire was able to avoid overcentralization

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