The power of the Northern Zhou Dynasty lasted only from 556 to 581. The atmosphere at the imperial court of Zhou was poisoned by murder, betrayal and intrigue. Finally Yang Jian, the father-in-law of the last Zhou-emperor, usurped the throne by murdering the entire imperial family. Then Yang Jian founded the Sui Dynasty. This coin was minted by Wu Di (561-579), the second-last emperor of the Northern Zhou Dynasty. It is a so-called pu-ch'üan coin, which circulated over only five years parallel to the traditional wu-shu coins.