Mausoleums of Princes of Shu of the Ming Dynasty

Emperor Wen of Sui | Wikipedia audio article

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Emperor Wen of Sui

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The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.
- Socrates



SUMMARY
=======
Emperor Wen of Sui (隋文帝; 21 July 541 – 13 August 604), personal name Yang Jian (楊堅), Xianbei name Puliuru Jian (普六茹堅), nickname Nryana (Chinese: 那羅延; pinyin: Nàluóyán), was the founder and first emperor of China's Sui Dynasty (581–618 AD). He was a hard-working administrator and a micromanager. The Sui Shu records him as having withdrawn his favour from the Confucians, giving it to the group advocating Xing-Ming and authoritarian government. As a Buddhist, he encouraged the spread of Buddhism through the state. He is regarded as one of the most important emperors in Chinese history, reunifying China in 589 after centuries of division since the fall of Western Jin Dynasty in 316. During his reign began the construction of the Grand Canal.
As a Northern Zhou official, Yang Jian served with apparent distinction during the reigns of Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou and Emperor Xuan of Northern Zhou. When the erratic Emperor Xuan died in 580, Yang, as his father-in-law, seized power as regent. After defeating the general Yuchi Jiong, who resisted him, he seized the throne for himself, establishing the new Sui Dynasty (as its Emperor Wen). He was the first Chinese to rule North China after the Xianbei invasion which conquered that area from the Liu Song dynasty (not counting the brief reconquest of that region by Emperor Wu of Liang).
Generally speaking, Emperor Wen's reign was a great period of prosperity not seen since the Han Dynasty. Economically, the dynasty prospered. It was said that there was enough food stored for 50 years. The military was also powerful. At the beginning of his reign, Sui faced the threat of the Göktürks to the north, and neighbored Tibetan tribes to the west, Goguryeo in the northeast, and Champa (Linyi) threatening the south. By the end of Emperor Wen's reign, the Göktürks had split into an eastern and a western kaganate, the eastern one being nominally submissive to Sui, as was Goguryeo. Champa was defeated and, while not conquered, did not remain a threat.
Emperor Wen is also famous for having the fewest number of concubines for an adult Chinese emperor. (Emperor Fei of Western Wei and the Ming dynasty Hongzhi Emperor were the only two perpetually monogamous Chinese emperors.) Emperor Wen was known for having only two concubines (although he might have had additional concubines not documented by traditional historians), with whom he might not have had sexual relations until after the death in 602 of his wife Empress Dugu, whom he loved and respected deeply.

Emperor Wen of Sui | Wikipedia audio article | Wikipedia audio article

This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:
Emperor Wen of Sui | Wikipedia audio article

Listening is a more natural way of learning, when compared to reading. Written language only began at around 3200 BC, but spoken language has existed long ago.

Learning by listening is a great way to:
- increases imagination and understanding
- improves your listening skills
- improves your own spoken accent
- learn while on the move
- reduce eye strain

Now learn the vast amount of general knowledge available on Wikipedia through audio (audio article). You could even learn subconsciously by playing the audio while you are sleeping! If you are planning to listen a lot, you could try using a bone conduction headphone, or a standard speaker instead of an earphone.

You can find other Wikipedia audio articles too at:


You can upload your own Wikipedia articles through:




The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.
- Socrates



SUMMARY
=======
Emperor Wen of Sui (隋文帝; 21 July 541 – 13 August 604), personal name Yang Jian (楊堅), Xianbei name Puliuru Jian (普六茹堅), nickname Nryana (Chinese: 那羅延; pinyin: Nàluóyán), was the founder and first emperor of China's Sui Dynasty (581–618 AD). He was a hard-working administrator and a micromanager. The Sui Shu records him as having withdrawn his favour from the Confucians, giving it to the group advocating Xing-Ming and authoritarian government. As a Buddhist, he encouraged the spread of Buddhism through the state. He is regarded as one of the most important emperors in Chinese history, reunifying China in 589 after centuries of division since the fall of Western Jin Dynasty in 316. During his reign began the construction of the Grand Canal.
As a Northern Zhou official, Yang Jian served with apparent distinction during the reigns of Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou and Emperor Xuan of Northern Zhou. When the erratic Emperor Xuan died in 580, Yang, as his father-in-law, seized power as regent. After defeating the general Yuchi Jiong, who resisted him, he seized the throne for himself, establishing the new Sui Dynasty (as its Emperor Wen). He was the first Chinese to rule North China after the Xianbei invasion which conquered that area from the Liu Song dynasty (not counting the brief reconquest of that region by Emperor Wu of Liang).
Generally speaking, Emperor Wen's reign was a great period of prosperity not seen since the Han Dynasty. Economically, the dynasty prospered. It was said that there was enough food stored for 50 years. The military was also powerful. At the beginning of his reign, Sui faced the threat of the Göktürks to the north, and neighbored Tibetan tribes to the west, Goguryeo in the northeast, and Champa (Linyi) threatening the south. By the end of Emperor Wen's reign, the Göktürks had split into an eastern and a western kaganate, the eastern one being nominally submissive to Sui, as was Goguryeo. Champa was defeated and, while not conquered, did not remain a threat.
Emperor Wen is also famous for having the fewest number of concubines for an adult Chinese emperor. (Emperor Fei of Western Wei and the Ming dynasty Hongzhi Emperor were the only two perpetually monogamous Chinese emperors.) Emperor Wen was known for having only two concubines (although he might have had additional concubines not documented by traditional historians), with whom he might not have had sexual relations until after the death in 602 of his wife Empress Dugu, whom he loved and respected deeply.

History of tea | Wikipedia audio article

This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:
History of tea


00:00:38 1 Geographic origins
00:02:28 2 Origin myths
00:04:26 3 Early history
00:04:36 3.1 China
00:11:17 3.1.1 Hong Kong
00:11:34 3.2 Japan
00:14:19 3.3 Korea
00:16:10 3.4 Vietnam
00:16:57 4 Global expansion
00:18:53 4.1 Portugal and Italy
00:19:44 4.2 India
00:22:35 4.3 Iran
00:23:11 4.4 Taiwan
00:23:48 4.5 Thailand
00:24:50 4.6 Turkey
00:25:09 4.7 United Kingdom
00:31:08 4.8 United States
00:32:20 4.9 Canada
00:32:52 4.10 Australia
00:34:27 4.11 Sri Lanka
00:35:17 4.12 Africa and South America



Listening is a more natural way of learning, when compared to reading. Written language only began at around 3200 BC, but spoken language has existed long ago.

Learning by listening is a great way to:
- increases imagination and understanding
- improves your listening skills
- improves your own spoken accent
- learn while on the move
- reduce eye strain

Now learn the vast amount of general knowledge available on Wikipedia through audio (audio article). You could even learn subconsciously by playing the audio while you are sleeping! If you are planning to listen a lot, you could try using a bone conduction headphone, or a standard speaker instead of an earphone.

You can find other Wikipedia audio articles too at:


You can upload your own Wikipedia articles through:




The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.
- Socrates



SUMMARY
=======
The history of tea is long and complex, spreading across multiple cultures over the span of thousands of years. Tea likely originated in the Yunnan region during the Shang dynasty as a medicinal drink. An early credible record of tea drinking dates to the 3rd century AD, in a medical text written by Hua Tuo. Tea was first introduced to Portuguese priests and merchants in Lebanon during the 16th century. Drinking tea became popular in Britain during the 17th century. The British introduced tea production, as well as tea consumption, to India, in order to compete with the Chinese monopoly on tea.