Southern Song Dynasty

 
Hexagonal golden plate
The military weakness of theNorthern Song (960-1127) eventually took its toll. In 1127. the Jin army sacked the Northern Song capital of Kaifeng. taking Emperor Huizong and most of his family hostage. Emperor Huizong`s ninth son. Zhaogou. fled south. That same year. the Song court re-established itself in Lin`an (present-day Hangzhou City). where it continued to rule for another 150 years as the Southern Song Dynasty. Historically. Zhaogou is known as Emperor Gaozong.

 
Pot of the Official Kiln
The period of the Southern Song is neither a period of power nor stability -- the dynasty only controlled the area south of the Yangtze River. When the dynasty was first established. instead of appointing competent people to carry out reforms and devise effective defensive strategies. Emperor Gaozong blocked the efforts of his talented Prime Minister Li Gang and reversed the dominant military strategy from one of active resistance to passive defense. Furthermore. talented officials were often supplanted by inferior ones to tend to important matters.

 
Stone tablet carved with astronomical map
The Jin army continued its attempts to conquer the south Yangtze area. To avoid further hostilities following the founding of the dynasty. Emperor Gaozong made peace with the Jin. accepting humiliating terms that included tribute payments.

After the emergence of the Mongols. the three powers in the north - the Mongols. Western Xia and Jin engaged in constant battles. which presented the Southern Song with an opportunity for expansion. However. since a defensive strategy had been adopted. no action was taken. It was not until the Western Xia vanished and the Jin. having lost most of its northern territories. attacked the Southern Song that they were forced to flee. Although the Southern Song troops held the southward marching Jin army at bay. they also suffered heavy losses. Meanwhile. Mongolian forces advanced onto the northern banks of the Yellow River. but the Southern Song lacked sufficient strength to resist the new invaders. With the Jin virtually defeated. the Southern Song foolishly decided to unite with the Mongols to continue their resistance. The Song was unaware that their new allies would prove to be far more dangerous than the Jin.

Having conquered the Jin. the Mongols then set their sights on the Southern Song. In 1276. the Mongolian army captured Hangzhou. putting an end to the Southern Song Dynasty. Some Song ministers fled south to Fujian and Guangdong to re-establish a mini-Song court. which was short-lived. ending in the second year (1279) of Xiangxing at Yashan.

Despite the precarious military situation. the Southern Song period was one of prosperity and creativity.

Southern Song art developed in an urban culture characterized by active foreign trade and the emergence of a merchant class looking for diversion and entertainment that was previously reserved for nobles. The new patrons particularly enjoyed painting with a realistic style that depicted the pleasures of daily life.

Printing was invented during the late Tang. By the time the Southern Song assumed power. books were more widely available and much less expensive. Increased access to education and expanded civil-service examinations brought more scholars to government service than ever before. The Song period also saw a revival of Confucianism. known as Neo-Confucianism.

Northern Song Dynasty

Three-legged celadon wine vessel 
In 959. following the death of Emperor Shizong. who had been a wise monarch. a seven-year-old child. Emperor Gong. succeeded him on the throne. In the next year. Zhao Kuangyin seized power and forced Emperor Gong to abdicate the throne. Zhao took the name Taizu and established his capital in Dongjing (present-day Kaifeng City). His first task was to abolish military coups by establishing a professional army that was loyal to the dynasty with military commanders under the strict control of the central government. For the remainder of his reign. Taizu concentrated his efforts on winning over the southern states. Such was his legacy at the time of his death in 976. With the exception of Zhejiang. Shanxi. Nanzhao and the area ruled by the Khitan. the country had come under Song control and the activities of the warlords had been brought to an end.

 
Copper coin
Emperor Taizu was succeeded by his brother. Emperor Taizong. who brought Zhejiang and Shanxi back to China. He was unsuccessful. however. in driving out the Khitan and was forced to deal with them on equal terms. From then on the Song Dynasty defended its borders against invasions and. unlike the Tang. never attained a universal empire.

 
Porcelain pillow of Cizhou Kiln
Important steps were taken to strengthen the administration under the autocratic control of the emperor. The developments were supported by important changes in the bureaucratic recruitment and the examination process. Control over the military and the replacement of aristocratic power with something akin to a meritocracy brought about a stability that allowed the country to enjoy a period of prosperity due to the expansion of industry. commerce and agriculture. These factors. in turn. led to the development of new cities as centers of administration. trade. commerce and industry.

The reform period lasted until the death of Emperor Shenzong in 1086. From then on there was a decline due to differences between ruling factions and peasant rebellions. The increased military skills of the three rival powers -- the Liao. Jin and Western Xia -- meant they were able to take advantage of the weakened country; In 1126. the Jin army conquered Kaifeng after a long siege. The following year the Northern Song Emperor was deposed and. along with his son. exiled to Manchuria
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