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Reunification: late 6th–8th century
In 577, the economically weaker but militarily tougher Northern Zhou conquered
the Northern Qi. In 581, it was in turn taken over by one of its military
lords, Yang Jian, who as Emperor Wendi (r. 581–604) established the
Sui dynasty (581–618) and went on to unify all of China. In 618, Li
Yuan, who ruled as Emperor Gaozu (r. 618–26), took over the empire
from the Sui and founded the Tang dynasty, which expanded the reach of the
empire well into Central Asia.
In government and military institutions the Sui and Tang followed in the
main the Northern Zhou model, but in material culture the Northern Qi provided
the major component. It is not surprising that an appreciation and adaptation
of foreign luxury goods, particularly metalwork, clothing styles, and even
makeup, marked the culture of the Tang dynasty, which, particularly from
the mid-seventh to the mid-eighth century, is considered one of the great
periods in Chinese history.
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