Why was the Song Dynasty, which lost its power and humiliated the country, praised by Western scholars as China's greatest era? This seemingly anomalous assessment provokes deep reflection on historical values and Western perspectives.
The Song Dynasty may have been seen in humiliation by the world, but in the eyes of Western scholars, it became China's greatest era. What kind of historical concepts and cultural perspectives are reflected behind this diametrically different evaluation?
In the long history of the Middle Ages, the economic system of the Song Dynasty was like a shining pearl. Wealthy merchants, bustling bazaars, and brilliant porcelain all made up the unprecedented economic picture of this dynasty.
In 960 AD, Zhao Kuangyin seized the throne in a coup d'état and established the Song Dynasty, ending the half-century-long situation of five dynasties and ten kingdoms. The emperor, who came from a humble background, understood the importance of the economy. From the very beginning of his tenure, he reduced the tax burden on the business class and encouraged business development. At the same time, we have adopted an active policy of internal and external security, so that the economy that has just recovered after the war will usher in new development opportunities.
In the eyes of many scholars, this is a typical attempt in Chinese history to cede part of the ruling space in exchange for economic benefits. It has indeed been a remarkable success. Soon, the market scale in the Central Plains continued to expand, and domestic trade and foreign trade were strongly developed.
In the reign of Emperor Xining of the Song Dynasty, Bianjing East City formed a prosperous area with commerce, handicrafts and culture as the representative of "Qingli Road". It is not only a place where merchants from all over the world come to do business, but also many handicraft workshops such as shipbuilding, sake brewing, and embroidery. This is the prototype of the first commercial block with modern significance in Chinese history.
At the same time, successive Song emperors also focused on developing agricultural production and cultivating more abundant crops. They rectified water conservancy and experimented with the introduction of fast-maturing crop varieties, which led to a significant increase in farmland yields. According to Shen Kuo's "Mengxi Bi Tan" of the Northern Song Dynasty, the average grain yield per mu in the Central Plains at that time was as high as 430 catties, far exceeding the average level of the previous dynasties.
The abundance of agricultural products not only feeds the growing city, but also provides a strong support for the supply of raw materials for the handicraft industry. It can be said that the Song Dynasty is a model of the harmonious development of commerce and handicrafts and agriculture in Chinese history.
During this historical period, the politics of the Song Dynasty were also enlightened and progressive. In the face of strong foreign enemy pressure, many emperors and prime ministers of the Song Dynasty chose the strategy of emphasizing literature and suppressing military force and accumulating strength. This political wisdom not only accumulated valuable national strength for the Song Dynasty, but also made its culture and art reach unprecedented prosperity.
In 976 AD, at the beginning of Taizong's accession to the throne, Zhao Guangyi felt the threat of military and political forces. In order to avoid a coup d'état caused by the warlords' dominance, he adopted a policy of reusing civilian officials and suppressing the forbidden army.
Most of these civil officials who entered the ** through the imperial examination were born in the middle and lower classes of society, bringing new ideas and working methods, and also making the imperial power no longer as extreme as the Tang Dynasty. The formation of checks and balances between the civil official group and the emperor promoted the rationalization and rule of law, and this pattern of civilian government laid the foundation for the political stability of the Song Dynasty.
Like many later emperors, Taizong was keen on political maneuvering. He was well versed in checks and balances, and was therefore willing to tolerate policy debates among ministers. This has fostered an unprecedentedly vibrant political and cultural atmosphere.
For example, the decades-long controversy between Sima Guang and Wang Anshi over the reform of the law is a typical representative of this political culture. It is precisely for this reason that when European and American scholars look through the historical descriptions of the Song Dynasty, they see an unusually enlightened and tolerant form of government, and they naturally respect and praise it.
In terms of culture and art, the Song Dynasty also reached unprecedented prosperity. During this period, a large number of scholars, poets, and painters emerged. Many of them had held official positions and later moved away from their careers, but they still influenced national politics through their writings. Such as Su Shi, Ouyang Xiu, etc., their "bold" style of words and paintings reflects a free-spirited spirit of the times, and also achieves a peak in the history of Chinese literature and art.
In addition, the Song Dynasty scholars and scholars advocated science, and this philosophical thought, which emphasized personal cultivation and social responsibility, also deeply influenced the spiritual outlook of the literati. Their works often involve reflection on realpolitik and care for the disadvantaged, which makes literature and art full of strong characteristics of the times. It can be said that the openness of the political system and the relaxation of the cultural atmosphere were important reasons for the prosperity of the culture of the Song Dynasty. This coincides with the value orientation of Western scholars who advocate individualism and humanistic care.
Specifically, the literature and art of the Song Dynasty present two outstanding characteristics: one is that the artists actively sought the combination of tradition and innovation. On the basis of absorbing the heritage of their predecessors, they have opened up new areas with their own uniqueness. For example, Su Shi's pioneering "broad style" poetry style greatly broadened the themes and techniques of ancient style poetry.
The second is the strong concern for reality in the works. From Ouyang Xiu, Fan Zhongyan to Su Shi, most of these literati were well versed in political affairs and directly participated in them. Therefore, their works often bear a strong imprint of the times. This made the art of the Song people more colorful, emotionally sincere, and more able to impress future generations.
Although the Song dynasty fell in 1279 at the hands of Emperor Yu, the innovation of its political system and the richness of its cultural heritage had a profound impact on Chinese history. In the Ming and Qing dynasties, the successful model of emphasizing civil affairs and suppressing military affairs and ruling civil officials was greatly inherited and carried forward, and the civil official group dominated national decision-making for a long time and promoted the process of rationalization and rule of law.
The value concept of Song Dynasty, which focuses on personal cultivation and standardized ethical relations, has gradually become the spiritual creed of the Chinese scholar class. From Wang Yangming to modern scholars, this rational and moderate value has influenced their life decisions. It can be said that the Song Dynasty laid the tone for the political development of China's feudal society and also shaped the spiritual outlook of the mainstream elite.
In addition, we cannot ignore the far-reaching impact of the Song Dynasty's scientific and technological achievements on the world. The widespread use of movable type printing technology brought books into the era of large-scale reproduction. The use of the compass has changed the way humans navigate. The invention of gunpowder directly rewrote the picture of the Hundred Years' War. A large part of these scientific and technological achievements were transmitted to Central Asia, West Asia and even European countries through the Silk Road.
Among them, porcelain is the most prestigious. The Qingbai porcelain fired in the Jingdezhen kiln of the Song Dynasty was very popular in the international market. A large number of Song porcelain was shipped to West Asia and Africa via the Maritime Silk Road, and sparked a wave of imitation in the region. Today, these fragments of Song dynasty porcelain are frequently found by archaeologists on the east coast of Africa. It can be said that Chinese porcelain has become a world-class cultural product in this period, and has added a brilliant stroke to the tree of world culture.
To sum up, the reason why the Song Dynasty received such high praise from Western scholars was its economic prosperity, political enlightenment, and cultural prosperity. These remarkable achievements echo certain stages of the development of Western history. Song studies and civil politics also set the tone of China's mainstream political culture. Its scientific and artistic heritage has rewritten the trajectory of the history of human civilization. Therefore, this ancient dynasty is indeed a shining pearl on the road to the development of Chinese civilization, as historians say.
When we look at this glorious history with awe and pride, we may find inspiration in it. The new era also requires us to forge ahead and have the courage to change. Let us be like the Song people, with wisdom and diligence, and continue to write a glorious chapter belonging to our generation.