biography
| name: |
Wendi
|
| |
also spelled Wen-ti
|
pronunciation:
[wendee]
| sex:
| male
|
| lived:
| (541–604)
|
| biography:
| First emperor of the Chinese Sui dynasty. As Yang Jian, a northerner having close family ties both to the Han nobility and the N Zhou dynasty (557–80), he slaughtered a king and 59 princes to seize the throne, ruling as Wendi (‘cultured emperor’, 590–604). His lands were around Changan (Xian), which he kept as the imperial capital. Conquering S China with 518 000 men, he then secured Annam's submission (603). Anti-intellectual, he opposed Confucianism but favoured Buddhism. He simplified administration, demanded total obedience to severe laws, and stopped officials working in their home areas. He was murdered by his son and successor, Yang Guang (Yangdi). |
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