The Song Dynasty

1. The Song Dynasty

2. Basic Information • Ruled between 960 and 1279 • 300 years • Arose after the failure of Tang Dynasty • Northern Song (960-1127) • Southern Song (1127-1276) • Revival of Confucian thought “Neo-Confucianism”

3. Northern Song Dynasty • 960-1127 • Capital: Kaifeng • Zhao Kuangyin (millitary general) • Emperor Taizu • Chaos of the ten states

4. Southern Song Dynasty • Jin Army • Zhao Gou • Emperor GaoZong • Fled to Lian • Literacy > Millitary • The Weakest Dynasty

5. Map of the Song Dynasty sic Information

6. Fall of the Song Dynasty • Emperor’s overwhelming power • Unequal treatment toward women • Unfair payment • Constant wars

7. Examination System • The Song Government oriented towards civil administration • Regular civil service examination system • For potential scholars to gain more power to express their opinions in government • To counter the control of military men. • Method to prevent favouritism • Element of Confucianism included in the exam

8. Your Main Topic Goes Here • Revival of Confucianism • Zhu Xi – the founder of Neo-Confucianism • Drew on the wisdom of Buddhism, blended into Confucian philosophy • Necessary due to spread in foreign religions • The government restored Confucius temples • Buddhism and Daoism lost intellectual strength

9. Urbanization & Economic Growth Your Main Topic Goes Here Your subtopic goes here Definition of Urbanization - Urbanization is the physical growth of urban areas as a result of rural migration and even suburban concentration into cities, particularly the very largest ones.

10. How’d Tang and Song maintain population • - In song, there were ten cities with over one million people living in their metropolitan areas. • New strains of rice made it possible to feed a much larger population and the surplus helped support large cities. • Song had shops scattered all over instead of having government controlled markets in one particular city

11. Your Main Topic Goes Here • Result of rapid development of cities - Landowners used their own land as the focus of their lives. However because of new city’s alluring quality, many landowners moved to urban areas.

12. Technological development Your Main Topic Goes Here Your subtopic goes here • A large number of bookstores have constructed which reflected the spread of printing (centuries before the first book was printed in Europe)

13. New currency • During the last days of the Tang dynasty, merchants had developed flying money • This was the first paper form of money

14. Your Main Topic Goes Here • Increase in crop production • Lower Yangzi and Huai river valleys rice had taken 150 days to ripen after it had been transplanted • China imported thousands of bushels of rice seeds from Champa which need only 100 days for ripening • As the amount of crop increased massively, the population increased to about 100 million people.

15. Your Main Topic Goes Here • A Northern Song official, Wang Anshi (series of reforms) • Introduced state loans for farmers at lower interest rates • Fervently suggests streamlining of government administration • Regulation of commerce • New tax policies • However many of the other officials of the day and wealthy people opposed it

16. Your Main Topic Goes Here • 資治通鑑 (The History Record) • Written by 司马光 • From 403 BC to 1362 AD • Total 24 volumes

17. Wooden Figure of Avalokiteshvara • Height: 2m • It proves that Buddhism was already existing in China and thus it had contact with India.

18. The ideal scholar official • Paint • Poetry • Use a fine calligraphic style

19. Ma Yuan & Xia Gui • Monochrome • Beauty of space

20. Scientific Progress • Compass • Hydraulic clock • abacus

21. Nautical engineering • Multiple masts and lifeboats • Bulkheads • Over 300 people

22. Movable type (1040) • X Woodblock • O separate characters • Wood – Porcelain – Copper – Bronze • Europe = late 1400s JIKJI (1377)

23. Military Technology • Gunpowder • Flame launcher • Artillery