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The biggest headache for feudal emperors was peasant uprisings, especially large-scale peasant uprisings like Li Zicheng at the end of the Ming Dynasty. But the Song Dynasty never happened, why is that?
The livelihood environment of the Song Dynasty was relatively stable, and it was not satisfied with the political background of the outbreak of large-scale peasant uprisings.
According to the History of the Song Dynasty, the social atmosphere of the Song Dynasty was weak, and the "emphasis on literature and suppression of martial arts" set off an upsurge of literature among the whole people. Renzong heeded the advice of Prime Minister Fu Bi and abolished the tuition fees for students and changed them to free education until Taixue;Measures such as the Infant Bureau, which provides for the welfare of pregnant women, the Salesian Bureau, the Salesian Bureau, the nursing homes for the poor and elderly, and the free diagnosis and treatment of low-cost medicines for the sick are still being taken care of in the course of sustainable development.
The background of the Song Dynasty's emphasis on literature and suppression of military force led to the low social status of literati and martial arts, and the children of peasants were reluctant to serve as soldiers, but longed for scholars, which greatly limited the outbreak of large-scale peasant uprisings. The Song Dynasty implemented compulsory education, the rural children did not spend money to study, the medical insurance policy that the state helped to pay for medical treatment reduced the cost of medical treatment for farmers, and set up free social welfare policies such as kindergartens, welfare homes and nursing homes to stabilize people's livelihood and create a relatively peaceful and stable environment for people's livelihood, which was conducive to the liberation of farmers and the development of social productive forces.
In short, the social welfare policies of the Song Dynasty that benefited the people's livelihood appeased the peasants and willingly imprisoned them in the land. The absence of a large-scale war is conducive to stabilizing production, and it is not content to breed large-scale peasant uprisings.
Many reforms in the Song Dynasty revolved around promoting agricultural production and stabilizing people's livelihood and economy.
Song Shiyun, Fangtian average tax proposed that the official ** regularly count the land area according to the degree of land barrenness. The Seedling Law stipulates that in March and May of each year and the season when sowing is needed, farmers shall borrow money and materials from ** according to the principle of voluntariness. After the harvest, with the summer and autumn taxes, the interest rate is raised by two-tenths or three-tenths to return the grain or cash. The Farmland Water Conservancy Law rewards all localities for reclaiming wasteland, building water conservancy, and building embankments and polders, and the beneficiary households are funded and repaired according to the level of households. Conscription laws allow state and county governments to hire people to serve at their own expense. The expenses required by employees shall be apportioned by households on a household-by-household basis.
Fangtian was liquidated by the average tax of the land hidden by the powerful landlords, and the tax burden on the peasants was reduced. The Seedlings Law guarantees that peasants' normal production and business activities are not affected by usury by landlords. The Farmland Water Conservancy Law encourages farmers to reclaim wasteland, build water conservancy projects, build embankments and dams, and increase farmers' enthusiasm for production. The conscription law relieves peasants of forced labor and ensures the time required for peasants' production.
The Song Dynasty's policy of benefiting the people stabilized the people's minds, ensured that the interests of the peasants were not occupied by the powerful landlords, and reduced the social instability factors that might induce the outbreak of large-scale peasant uprisings while reducing the burden on the peasants.
All in all, the rulers of the Song Dynasty made many social welfare policies and measures to benefit the people in order to prevent large-scale peasant uprisings, which could not be guaranteed by modern underdeveloped countries. On the other hand, most of the dynasties in history where large-scale peasant uprisings broke out were prone to wars and chaos, and the normal agricultural production of peasants could not be guaranteed.
To this day, many policies of the Song Dynasty to protect people's livelihood are still worthy of our reference, only by stabilizing people's livelihood can social productivity be steadily improved, and the social environment can be maintained harmoniously.