Sui Shu (6 volumes in total)

Author: Wei Zheng et al. (Tang Dynasty)
Publisher:
Publication Date: Not available
Features: The Book of Sui consists of 85 volumes, including 5 imperial chronicles, 50 biographies, and 30 treatises. This book was co-authored by multiple individuals and was completed in two phases, taking a total of 35 years from its inception to completion. In the fourth year of the Wude era (621 AD), Linghu De proposed the suggestion to compile histories of the five dynasties—Liang, Chen, Northern Qi, Northern Zhou, and Sui. The following year, the Tang court ordered historians to begin the compilation, but after several years, the project had not yet been completed. In the third year of the Zhenguan era (629 AD), the five-dynasty history was rebuilt, with Wei Zheng overseeing the overall effort and serving as the chief editor of The Book of Sui. The authors of The Book of Sui were all erudite scholars with high proficiency in historical writing. The Book of Sui is the earliest extant specialized history of the Sui Dynasty and one of the historical works with the highest quality among the Twenty-Five Histories.
First, it has a clear guiding principle. Emperor Taizong of Tang, who personally experienced the war that led to the fall of the Sui Dynasty, frequently discussed the lessons of its collapse after coming to power. He explicitly stated the view that "using the past as a mirror can reveal the rise and fall of dynasties." Learning from historical lessons and using history as a guide became the guiding principle for compiling The Book of Sui.
Second, The Book of Sui upholds the fine tradition of writing history with impartiality, avoiding excessive flattery or concealment. Wei Zheng, the chief editor, was upright and incorruptible. The chronicles and biographies he supervised were relatively free of biased or concealed accounts. For example, the book honestly recorded Emperor Wen of Sui as "harsh and autocratic," "displeased with poetry and books," and "oblivious to the greater good." It also portrayed Emperor Yang of Sui as "feigning sincerity while masking his true nature," "killing his father and committing incest," and "eliminating relatives and slaughtering loyal ministers," without any concealment.
Lastly, The Book of Sui preserves a large amount of political, economic, and scientific and cultural materials. The ten treatises record the institutions and customs of the five dynasties—Liang, Chen, Northern Qi, Northern Zhou, and Sui—and some parts even trace their origins back to the Han and Wei dynasties.