The Song Dynasty Years: 960-1279 CE
by: Sunaina, Period 6
Politics
The Song Dynasty was established in 960 CE by Sung T'ai Tsu. He rose to power after a short period of civil wars and rebellions at the end of the Tang Dynasty. The Song only gave the two hundred most qualified people in the empire a position in the government by giving an exam. This exam was called the Civil Services Exam. This was an extremely difficult test that men would study many, many years for. Thousands would take it and only two hundred would pass it. This exam guaranteed that only the top people in the dynasty were in control. After a while, the military weakened because their focus was on building projects rather than defending the empire. Then, the Khitans, a tribe just north of the empire, took over the northern part of the dynasty. The Songs were compelled to increasing taxes and people were forced to give more money to the government. This money was used to pay the Khitans so they would not invade the rest of the Song, the Southern Song. Though the Songs did many noble things like using money to help people financially, the empire fell and was taken over by the Yuan.
Sung T'ai Tsu, the first Song Emperor
Economics
The Song traded large quantities of tea, silk, copper coins, paper and printed books, porcelain, lacquerware, jewelry, rice and other grains, and ginger and other spices. They traded those products for necessities like silver, horses, camel, sheep, fine Indian and Persian cotton cloth, precious gems, incense, and perfume. Some important occupations in the Song times were agriculture, iron-working, and printing. To keep from attacking the dynasty, the Song mostly traded with the Khitans and Western-Hsia by paying heaps of gold.
Currency
Inventions/Technology/Science and Architecture
The Song are famous for their inventions and technology. They created gunpowder, book-printing, movable type printing, glow-in-the-dark paint, the abacus (calculator), fireworks, explosives, and grenades. They also improved porcelain, maps, tools, and weapons. Though there were many inventions, there were some very important technological advances like the creation of a mechanical clock (a chain drive mechanism) and the compass. The Song came up with scientific ideas on how to prevent diseases. They were also into building projects. One major building project was the Rainbow Bridge. This helped improve trade routes and was built over water. It was called the "Rainbow Bridge" because there was no support under it and arched like a rainbow. They also built many pagodas, palaces, temples, and towers.
The Rainbow Bridge
Religion/Culture/Social Life
The Song Dynasty encouraged Buddhism and Daoism. They revived Confucian thinking as well. The men in the family during the Song Dynasty studied for the Civil Services Exam if they wanted to have a place in the government. Unfortunately, the status of women in public declined while elder women in the family often held a powerful position. Children were highly valued because they continued the family into future generations. During this time period, pictures of landscapes were popular. They usually showed emotions of regret, longing, and acceptance. The quality of ceramics increased and a lot of the art was made from precious metals like gold and silver. The Songs mostly wrote poems of joy or despair. Speaking of literature, they created a different kind of literature, lyrics, which became popular and led to the creation of operas.