Under Yang Ti the Grand Canal was built joining northern China with the Yangtze river which by then had become a major grain growing area. Yang Ti spent lavish amounts of money on palace construction and reinforcing the Great Wall. About half of the six million men recruited for the building projects died at their work.

Then came three failed expeditions against the Koreans. The people revolted and the emperor was forced to flee to south China where he was assassinated and the short-lived Sui dynasty came to an end.