The Song Dynasty experienced a total of 319 years of history, divided into two periods, the Northern Song Dynasty and the Southern Song Dynasty
The Song Dynasty was an important dynasty in Chinese history, which created the famous Song culture and became one of the representatives of Chinese culture. During the Song Dynasty, China's economic development reached its peak, and great achievements were made in culture and art. So, how old is the Song Dynasty?
The Song Dynasty was divided into two periods, the Northern Song Dynasty and the Southern Song Dynasty, which lasted for 167 years from 960 to 1127. After the Jingkang Revolution, the Northern Song Dynasty was destroyed by the Jin Dynasty, Song Huizong and Song Qinzong were captured and went north, while Zhao Gou, the king of Kang, fled to the south and established the Southern Song Dynasty. The Southern Song Dynasty lasted 152 years from 1127 to 1279. Thus, the Song Dynasty has experienced a total of 319 years of history.
The history of the Song Dynasty can be divided into the following phases:
The establishment of the Northern Song Dynasty can be traced back to the Later Zhou period at the end of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms. At that time, Chai Rong of the Later Zhou Dynasty was in power, and he implemented a series of far-reaching reform measures. These reforms greatly strengthened Hou Zhou's national power, making it one of the most powerful countries in China at the time. However, Chai Rongqu's untimely death made the great cause of reunification in the Later Zhou Dynasty not last. The successor lacks sufficient prestige and ability to maintain the stability of the country, leading to political turmoil and chaos.
Against this backdrop, Zhao Kuangyin, the founding emperor of the Northern Song Dynasty, with his outstanding military talent and keen political insight, launched the Chenqiao Mutiny in 960 AD and successfully seized power. Zhao Kuangyin's yellow robe announced the establishment of the Song Dynasty and set the capital in the bustling Tokyo Bianliang (now Kaifeng, Henan). Since then, a new page has been opened in Chinese history, and this period is known as the Northern Song Dynasty.
Under the leadership of Zhao Kuangyin, the Northern Song Dynasty showed strong vitality. In just a few years, the Song Dynasty successfully unified the Central Plains, ending the state of the five dynasties and ten kingdoms. Not only that, but the Northern Song Dynasty also gradually consolidated its territory and expanded its territory through wars with the Liao Dynasty and the Western Xia. These achievements fully demonstrated Zhao Kuangyin's superb military talent and political wisdom.
During the Northern Song Dynasty, Zhao Kuangyin learned the lessons of the previous dynasty and adopted a series of political strategies in order to strengthen the imperial power, the most famous of which was "releasing military power with a glass of wine". Through this strategy, he succeeded in cutting the military power of his generals and concentrating power in the hands of the emperor. At the same time, in order to improve the country's governance ability, the Northern Song Dynasty inherited and developed the imperial examination system of the Tang Dynasty, and selected through examinations**, so that more civilian intellectuals could enter the bureaucratic system. This initiative has injected new talent into the country and also provided more opportunities for civilians to rise up.
Under the leadership of Zhao Kuangyin, the economic prosperity of the Northern Song Dynasty reached its peak. Among the four major inventions, movable type printing and gunpowder were developed during this period, which greatly promoted the progress of science and technology. Great achievements have also been made in culture and art, with Song Ci becoming one of the most important representatives in the history of Chinese literature, and Song Dynasty calligraphers such as Su Shi and Huang Tingjian also making great achievements. At the same time, the cultural atmosphere of the Northern Song Dynasty was very relaxed, and the literati and writers made great achievements in poetry, painting, and other aspects.
The northern border of the Song Dynasty has never been affected. In 1127 AD, the Jin army broke through Bianliang in Tokyo, and the second emperor of Huiqin was captured, which was known as the "shame of Jingkang" in history. This event marked the end of the Northern Song Dynasty. The imperial family Zhao Gou crossed to the south and rebuilt the imperial court in Lin'an (now Hangzhou, Zhejiang), known as the Southern Song Dynasty in history.
After the Jingkang Change, the territory was greatly reduced compared with the Northern Song Dynasty, and the Southern Song Dynasty was in a corner of the Jiangnan region, forming a new economic and cultural center. The commodity economy has further prospered, urban life has become rich and colorful, the citizen class has grown, literature and art have entered a new stage, and lyrics and music literature are particularly popular, and many outstanding literati such as Xin Qiji and Li Qingzhao have emerged.
Although the economic and military strength of the Southern Song Dynasty was relatively weak, the Southern Song Dynasty made certain diplomatic achievements. The Southern Song Dynasty and the Jin Dynasty signed the Shaoxing Peace Agreement, and the two sides reached a peace agreement. In addition, the Southern Song Dynasty also established diplomatic relations with the Mongols, but they were eventually destroyed by the Mongols.
At the end of the Southern Song Dynasty, just as the Southern Song Dynasty society continued to prosper, the Mongol power in the northern steppes gradually rose and began to expand southward, becoming an irresistible rival of the Southern Song Dynasty. Relations between the two countries deteriorated rapidly after the Southern Song Dynasty and the Mongols destroyed the Jin Dynasty in 1234. The Southern Song Dynasty suffered a series of defeats in resisting the Mongol attack, and was finally destroyed by the Yuan Dynasty in 1279, when the Mongol army under the command of Kublai Khan, the ancestor of the Yuan dynasty, defeated the remnants of the Southern Song Dynasty in the Battle of Yashan. Since then, the history of the Song Dynasty, which lasted for 319 years, came to an end, and China entered the Yuan Dynasty era under Mongol rule.
Although the history of the Song Dynasty is over, the influence of the Song Dynasty on China is far-reaching. The Song Dynasty laid the foundation for China's development in terms of politics, economy, and culture. At the same time, the Song Dynasty is also one of the representatives of Chinese culture, and Song Ci, Song Dynasty calligraphy, and Song Dynasty painting have all become one of the representatives of Chinese culture.
Overall, the Song Dynasty was an important dynasty in Chinese history, and its more than 300-year history was full of glory and change. The Song Dynasty laid the foundation for China's development in terms of politics, economy, and culture, and became one of the representatives of Chinese culture. Although the Song Dynasty was eventually destroyed by the Yuan Dynasty, its historical significance and influence were far-reaching.
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