Emperor Wen-ti, First of the Sui Dynasty

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that, after the period of dis-unification, Yan Chien proclaimed himself Emperor Wen-ti initiating the Sui dynasty, which was modeled after the earlier Han dynasty. The author points out that the Sui dynasty centralized Chinese power and returned an air of legitimacy to the imperial house; the principles of governance perfected during the Sui Dynasty remained ingrained in imperial China until its dissolution nearly 1,300 years later. The paper relates that Wen-ti chose to demolish the former capitol Ch'ang-an and rebuild it with the help of distinguished architect and engineer Yu-wen K'ai; Ch'ang-an would become not only the center of Chinese political thought but also the center of the Universe, presided over by the "Son of Heaven".

From the Paper:

"A man of great piety, Wen-ti actively nurtured the construction of Buddhist and Taoist temples and the recovering and re-copying of both religious and secular literature. To further the goals of unification Wen-ti issued decrees on the, "purification of Chinese literary style" (Wright 10). The Emperor offered charters to those willing to build Buddhist temples and both Wen-ti and his empress were to construct several, including one dedicated to her honor after her death in 603 CE. It is said that this temple was to house a tooth of the Buddha brought back by the pilgrim Fa-hsien from India in the fifth century (Wright 89). However pious, Wen-ti and his advisors also saw organized Buddhism as a force that needed constant monitoring in order to retain the Emperor's divine right of pronouncement on all matters of morality and public policy."

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