The Song dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The Song government was the first in world history to issue banknotes or true paper money nationally. It was also the first Chinese government to establish a permanent standing navy. This dynasty also saw the first known use of gunpowder, as well as the first discernment of true north using a compass.
About Song dynasty in brief
The Song dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The Song government was the first in world history to issue banknotes or true paper money nationally. It was also the first Chinese government to establish a permanent standing navy. This dynasty also saw the first known use of gunpowder, as well as the first discernment of true north using a compass. The population of China doubled in size during the 9th, 10th and 11th centuries. The spread of literature and knowledge was enhanced by the rapid expansion of woodblock printing and the 11th-century invention of movable-type printing. Philosophers such as Cheng Yi and Zhu Xi reinvigorated Confucianism with a new organization of classic texts that emphasized Buddhist ideals. The Mongol invasion eventually led to a Chinese reunification under the Yuan dynasty. It is estimated that the Northern Song had a population of 90 million people, and 200 million by the time of the Ming dynasty. In Kaifeng, he established a strong military government over the rest of China, conquering much of the territory that had once belonged to the Han and Tang Dynasties and ending the upheaval of the Five Dynastied and Ten Kingdoms period. The officials of the Song period became more prominent in the civil service examinations, which became a leading factor in the shift from a scholar-bureaucratic elite to a scholar and aristocrat elite. The official examinations became more important in the later Song period, and the officials gained more power by succeeding in succeeding in the imperial examination.
The Southern Song dynasty considerably bolstered its naval strength to defend its waters and land borders and to conduct maritime missions abroad. In 1271, Kublai Khan proclaimed himself Emperor of China and established the Yuan Dynasty. After two decades of sporadic warfare, the Mongols conquered the Song dynasty in 1279, after the Southern Song suffered military defeat in the Battle of Yamen. The Mongols were only partially recognized by the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty in the west. The Great Khan of the Mongol Empire, Möngke Khan, died in 1259 while besieging the mountain castle Diaoyucheng, Chongqing. He was proclaimed the new Great Khan, though his claim was only partiallyrecognized by the Mongol-led Mongols in the West. The Northern Song census recorded 20 million households, double of the Han & Tang dynasties. The northern part of the dynasty controlled most of what is now Eastern China. The southern half was controlled by the Jurchen-led Jin dynasty. During this time, the Song court retreated south of the Yangtze and established its capital at Lin’an. Although the Song had lost control of the traditional \”birthplace of Chinese civilization\” along the Yellow River, theSong economy was still strong, as the southern Song empire contained a large population and productive agricultural land. The growth was made possible by expanded rice cultivation in central and southern Song, the use of early-ripening rice from south-east and southern Asia.
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This page is based on the article Song dynasty published in Wikipedia (as of Dec. 04, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
