By the end of the Northern and Southern Dynasties ( 南北朝 ) , China had undergone disunity and chaos for about 270 years. In 577, the Northern Zhou ( 北周 ) conquered the Northern Qi ( 北齐 ) and reunified the North China. Then in 581, Emperor Wen ( 隋文帝 ) who reigned the Northern Zhou founded the Sui Dynasty ( 隋朝 ) , and held its capital at Chang'an ( 长安 present Xi'an ). After the founding of Sui Dynasty, the emperor carried out a series of military steps to unify the whole country quickly. Finally in 589, Emperor Wen wiped out the Chen Dynasty ( 陈朝 ) and reunified the south and the north.

At the beginning of the Sui Dynasty, Emperor Wen adopted many policies to strengthen his regime. In order to grasp the central authorities, the Sui Dynasty re-established the centralized administrative system. They set up "Three Departments and Six Ministries" ( 三省六部制 ) , placing under its supervision all state affairs. In addition, Emperor Wen abolished the privilege of the noble families, and adopted the imperial examination system ( 科举制度 ) for the selection and appointment of civil servants instead, which later was to be used by successive Chinese dynasties for over 1300 years.

There are also various reforms in the Sui Dynasty: the land equalization system ( 均田制 ) , initiated to reduce the rich-poor social gap, resulted in enhanced agricultural productivity; coinage was standardized and unified; defense was improved, and the Great Wall was expanded. Buddhism was also spread and encouraged throughout the empire, uniting the varied people and cultures of China .

Another notable achievement in the Sui Dynasty is the excavation of the Grand Canal ( 大运河 ) . To improve means of transport between the south and north, the construction of the Grand Canal was commenced. This great project connected the Yellow River ( 黄河 ) with the Yangtze River ( 长江 ) and had the effect of greatly increasing cultural and economic exchange between the two areas.