The Sui briefly reunified China after three centuries of division, building the Grand Canal and laying the administrative foundations that the Tang would inherit — but collapsed under the strain of massive infrastructure projects and failed Korean campaigns.
The Sui dynasty collapsed in 618 CE amid widespread rebellions triggered by the failures of Emperor Yang's military campaigns; Emperor Yang was assassinated and Li Yuan proclaimed the Tang dynasty.
Volume 3 of the Cambridge series covers the Sui alongside the Tang; essential for the dynasty's brief but foundational role.
Traces the centuries of division through to the Sui reunification, explaining the institutions and Grand Canal projects the Sui used to reunite China.