Sui-Tang: The Making of an Empire

The Formation of the Sui-Tang Empire begins with Emperor Wen of Sui and ends with Empress Wu's rise to power. Throughout this period, aristocratic politics remained the main thread of Chinese history, particularly evident in the rise of numerous political factions formed around imperial princes. In the Sui dynasty, for instance, Prince of Jin Yang Guang seized the crown prince's position from Yang Yong. In the Tang dynasty, Prince of Qin Li Shimin launched the Xuanwu Gate Incident, killing his brothers to seize the throne. Several of Li Shimin's sons were eager to follow in his footsteps and coveted supreme power. The great families of the ruling class each placed their bets, sometimes on both sides, hoping to preserve their political standing. Even Wu Zetian, who was not of the imperial surname, seized the throne and became the only female emperor in Chinese history.

In addition, this book breaks away from the traditional approach of making political history its main focus. It selects representative figures among the Guanlong aristocracy and the heroes of Shandong, and explores the formation of the Sui-Tang ruling class and the character of its state from a variety of perspectives, including family networks, religious beliefs, and regional traits. Each volume consists of ten chapters, which mainly follow chronological order and examine key historical turning points and figures. The book preserves original source materials while adding the author's insightful commentary, allowing readers to choose what they would like to read. The footnotes point to the latest research papers, helping interested readers pursue further reading. Each chapter also ends with a