Sui and Tang Dynasty Comparison Essay

The Sui and Tang ruled back to back and were similar in some ways and different in others. The Sui and Tang were similar in their collapses, but were different in their use of political power and effectiveness.

Both Sui and Tang dynasties were ruled by rulers who were partly nomadic.
The Sui and Tang families were not Han Chinese and came from northwestern China away from the Chinese heartland.

The collapse of the Sui and Tang dynasties were similar. Sui collapsed because the rulers ruthlessly imposed harsh taxes and dangerous construction projects on the people, which stirred disloyalty and frequent rebellion. Tang also ended due to the An Lushan Rebellion.

A difference between the dynasties was that the Tang held power much longer than the Sui did. The Sui dynasty only lasted thirty-six years while the Tang dynasty lasted almost three hundred. The Tang dynasty is considered a high point in Chinese civilizations, while Sui was only a short-lived, harsh, and ineffective dynasty like the Qin.

Another difference was that the Tang dynasty had an empress and the Sui never had a woman ruling. Empress Wu gained the throne by marrying into the royal family and ruled through Buddhism. However, Sui only had three male rulers.