Dates of Power:
The Song dynasty consisted of two periods: the northern Song which started in 960 until 1127, and the southern Song which continued from 1127 and ended the dynasty in 1279.(http://www.china-window.com/china_briefing/china_history/
chinese-historysong-dynas.shtml) The Song dynasty consists of two phases because the northern Song was forced to get rid of it's Song court because the Jin dynasty took over.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Song_Dynasty) The Song dynasty began under the rule of general Zhao Kuangyin, also known as Song Taizu. (http://www.chinaknowledge.de/History/Song/song-event.html)
The
Northern
Song
dynasty
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/29/China_11a.jpg)
The Take Over:
The Song dynasty was established because the dynasty that had been reigning before the Song dynasty was called the Tang dynasty. The rulers of the Tang dynasty were not doing a very good job of helping the lower class people, so the peasants riotted against the empire and in the end, the emperor was forced to give up his throne, thus resulting in the creation of the Song dynasty. (http://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/history/tang/end.htm)
Leaders of the Civilization:
Throughout both periods of the Song dynasty,there were quite a few rulers. But there were a few emperors that were important because of the differences they made during their reign. The dynasty began with Emperor Song Taizu who ruled until 975. Then the next important ruler was Emperor Qinzong who ruled from 1126 to 1127. Following him was Emperor Gaozong from 1127 until 1162 and then finally Emperor Bing from 1278 until the downfall of the Song dynasty in 1279. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Song_Dynasty)
Leader Outside of China
During the Song dynasty, there were also other rulers in different countries. For example, King Hugh Capet who had been the king of France from 938-996 was ruling at that time. King Hugh Capet was also a king who had started a new dynasty called the Capetian dynasty.
King Hugh Capet of France
(http://www.kidspast.com/images/capet.jpg)
Accomplishments
The Song dynasty was a period with many accomplisments in various areas. Gunpowder was first introduced during the Song dynasty, so that resulted in the Chinese having an upper hand ruing wars. Their ships were also better built than the European ships, which helped expand their foreign trade. The first autopsy was performed, resulting in medicinal advances. Education also became more popular, and this was because printing became much more convenient and more books were made. A different philosophy was also discovered during this period. It was called Neo-Confucianism. This philosphy was a combination of all the Confucianism ideas that had been founded in the past. This philosophy was very important because it taught people that it was their own decisions that formed their character. So people started to become less selfish and greedy, especially the nobles. Art was another area that changed. People began to write poetry and painting began to be more than just painting portraits.
(http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/prehistory/china/classical_imperial_china/song.html)
Advances in mathematics were made, so that carographers were able to draw more precise maps and the first map of China all the way to India was drawn with a grid system. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Song_Dynasty#Technology.2C_science.2C_and_engineering)
Type of machinery called the trebuchet that fired explosive bombs
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/47/Trebuchet1-intransit.jpg
Type of ships that were used for foreign trading
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/
commons/6/6b/SongJunk.jpg)
Downfall
Although the Song dynasty had a lot of accomplishments, they were still weak in the area of the military. This was because Neo-Confucianism stated that problems were solved through diplomacy, not fighting.
(http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/prehistory/china/classical_imperial_china/song.html) So then the Mongol tribes first chased out the Northern Song dynasty, and then they invaded all the areas surrounding Southern Song. All the tribes attacked Southern Song and captured them. This was the end of the Song dynasty.
(http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/prehistory/china/classical_imperial_china/song.html) So then the Mongol tribes first chased out the Northern Song dynasty, and then they invaded all the areas surrounding Southern Song. All the tribes attacked Southern Song and captured them. This was the end of the Song dynasty.
Bibliography
- "China History." China-Window. 1994. 13 Jan. 2008
- "Song Dynasty." Wikipedia. 9 Jan. 2008. 13 Jan. 2008
- Theobald, Ulrich. "Chinese History-Song Dynasty." ChinaKnowledge. 2000. 9 Jan. 2008
- "End of Tang Empire,Tang Dynasty Decline,China Tang Dynasty History." Travel China Guide. 27 Nov. 2007. 8 Jan. 2008
- "The Northern and Southern Song Dynasties." 12 Jan. 2008
- "Song Dynasty." Wikipedia. 9 Jan. 2008. 13 Jan. 2008
