Song Dynasty (960-1279)

Founding and Early Years

• Founded by Emperor Taizu of Song, who reunified China after the turbulent period of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms
• Capital city: Bianjing (modern-day Kaifeng)
• Early years marked by military campaigns to expand territory and consolidate power

Economy and Society

• Economy flourished, with a significant growth in population, trade, and urbanization
• Silk production, porcelain, and printing industries developed during this period
• Social hierarchy: emperor, officials, scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants
• Emergence of a vibrant cultural scene, including literature, art, and philosophy

Government and Administration

• Bureaucratic system: civil service examinations for selecting officials, with a focus on Confucian classics
• Centralized government, with the emperor holding supreme power
• Division of the country into circuits, prefectures, and counties for administrative purposes

Military and Foreign Relations

• Military reforms: creation of a professional army, with an emphasis on infantry and cavalry
• Conflicts with neighboring states, including the Liao Dynasty, Jin Dynasty, and Mongols
• Diplomatic relations with neighboring countries, including trade and cultural exchanges

Culture and Science

• Cultural achievements: poetry, painting, calligraphy, and literature (e.g., Su Shi, Ouyang Xiu)
• Scientific advancements: invention of gunpowder, compass, and printing press
• Development of Neo-Confucianism, a philosophical movement that emphasized moral values and social hierarchy

Decline and Fall

• Weakened by internal strife, eunuchs' power struggles, and external pressures from the Mongols
• Capital city, Bianjing, captured by the Mongols in 1127
• Southern Song Dynasty established, with capital in Hangzhou, but eventually fell to the Mongols in 1279