WEN-TI

born 541, China died 604, China Pinyin Wendi(posthumous name, or shih), temple name (miao-hao) (sui) Kao Tsu, personal name (hsing-ming) Yang Chien emperor (reigned 581604) who reunified and reorganized China after 300 years of instability, founding the Sui dynasty. He conquered the several dynasties into which southern China had been divided, and he broke the power of the Mongols and Turks in the northern part of the country. died 157 BC, China Pinyin Wendi (posthumous name, or shih), personal name (hsing-ming) Liu Heng fourth emperor (reigned 180/179157/156 BC) of the Han dynasty of China. His reign was marked by good government and the peaceful consolidation of imperial power. A son of Kao-tsu, the founder of the Han dynasty, Wen-ti was the prince of Tai when he was chosen emperor over several other contenders for the imperial throne. His reign of 23 years made him the first Han emperor to rule for such a long period of time and gave the dynasty a stability it had hitherto lacked. Wen-ti further weakened the power of local dukes and other vassals in the process of consolidating the central government's authority. At the same time, he was credited with the ideal behaviour of a monarch; he listened to his subordinates' advice and sought their agreement in important decisions. Wen-ti's legendary frugality enabled him to lighten the tax burdens on the peasantry. He also took measures to improve irrigation and otherwise promote agricultural production. Under his rule China's economy prospered and its population expanded. The continuity of Han rule was assured when, at Wen-ti's death, the throne passed peacefully to his son, Ching-ti, whose reign was also known for its good government. To later ages, Wen-ti epitomized the virtues of frugality and benevolence in a Chinese ruler. Additional reading Arthur F. Wright, The Formation of Sui Ideology, 581604, in John K. Fairbank (ed.), Chinese Thought and Institutions (1957), pp. 7784, deals with Wen-ti's life and with his principal advisers.