The Sui Dynasty

In A.D. 220 after the fall of the Han Dynasty, China fell into a state of unrest and civil war. The region would be divided and ruled for over 350 years by a variety of war lords, and local leaders. Then in A.D. 589 a new emperor emerged from among all the competing war lords. This emperor was Yang Jian. Yang Jian started the Sui Dynasty.

After uniting all of the Chinese people behind him, Emperor Jian began again to build up the Chinese Empire. He ordered a number of new building projects to begin, including canals, roads, bridges, and buildings. He also ordered that the Great Wall be repaired and strengthened. In order to accomplish these new public works projects, Jian used peasants, in a form of forced labor that resembled slavery.

His forced labor projects made him quite unpopular with the peasants, and eventually led to a peasant uprisings that would lead to the overthrowing of the Sui Dynasty in A.D. 618.