Sui Book Interpretation

Author: Zeng Zhihua
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-07-01
Features: A Compendium of the Sui Dynasty primarily references the Sui Dynasty Chronicle from the Twenty-Five Histories. The Sui Dynasty Chronicle comprises eighty-five volumes, including five imperial chronicles, fifty biographies, and thirty treatises. This book was co-authored by multiple contributors, marking the beginning of official Chinese historical compilation. Its creation spanned two phases, taking thirty-five years from inception to completion. The chronicles and biographies were compiled starting in the third year of the Zhenguan era (629) and finished in the tenth year (636), while the treatises began in the fifteenth year of the Zhenguan era and were completed in the first year of the Xiangqing era of Emperor Gaozong of Tang (656). Wei Zheng passed away in the seventeenth year of the Zhenguan era, thirteen years before the Sui Dynasty Chronicle was finalized, so it should not be attributed entirely to him. The Sui Dynasty was a short-lived regime; Emperor Wen of Sui unified the southern regions nine years after ascending the throne, and the dynasty lasted a total of thirty-eight years from its establishment to its collapse. During the early Tang Dynasty, when the history of the Sui Dynasty was compiled, although the time was relatively recent, the chaos of the Jiangdu Rebellion at the end of the Sui period destroyed most historical records, leaving few references available. Only works such as Wang Shao’s Sui Dynasty Chronicle and Niu Hong’s Record of Court Ceremonies remained. As the first official Chinese historical compilation, the Sui Dynasty Chronicle is the earliest surviving specialized work on the Sui Dynasty and one of the most highly regarded historical texts among the Twenty-Five Histories. Its contributions and significance are profound.