In the 570s and 580s the long period of division in China was brought to an end under the leadership of the Sui (sway) Dynasty. In addition to reunifying China, the Sui reasserted Chinese control over northern Vietnam and campaigned into Korea and against the new force on the steppe, the Turks. The Sui strengthened central control of the government by curtailing the power of local officials to appoint their own subordinates and by instituting in 605 C.E. competitive written examinations for the selection of officials.

The crowning achievement of the Sui Dynasty was the construction of the Grand Canal, which connected the Yellow and Yangzi River regions. Henceforth the rice-growing Yangzi Valley and south China played an ever more influential role in the country’s economic and political life, strengthening China’s internal cohesion and facilitating maritime trade with Southeast Asia, India, and areas farther west.

Despite these accomplishments, the Sui Dynasty lasted for only two reigns. The ambitious projects of the two Sui emperors led to exhaustion and unrest, and in the ensuing warfare Li Yuan seized the throne.