宋朝
Dates of power and a map of dynasty
Map of Northern Song Dynasty (1)
Reason for take-over
The Northern Song was led by Zhao Kuangyin. Zhao Kuangyin was a military general in the Later Zhou Dynasty, which lasted from 951 to 960. (2). In 959, Guo Rong, the ruler of the Later Zhou Dynasty passed away and was succeeded by his son who was only seven years old. The Dynasty had come to a weak spot. (6). In 960, Kuangyin led a mutiny in a county now known as Henan Province. Not long after the mutiny, the King of Later Zhou Dynasty was forced to abdicate. Kuangyin, therefore, took over the power to form a new dynasty known as the Song Dynasty. The new dynasty was established in Kaifeng, Henan Province’s capital. (2)
Map of Kaifeng (2)
Leaders of the civilization
Because there were two distinct periods in the Song Dynasty, there were two main leaders of the dynasty. The first was the leader of the Northern song, Zhao Kuangyin, the 'founder' of the dynasty. The second was the leader of the Southern song, son of the last emperor of the Northern Song, Zhao Gou. (2)
Zhao Gou (4)A leader from another civilization outside of China, but during the same time period
The Song dynasty ruled China during the Middle Age. Another leader was William the Conqueror, who was born in 1027 in France. He was the first Norman King of England. In 1047, he was in a rebel force and won a battle near Caen. On Christmas of 1066, he was crowned the king of England. He ruled for a short period of time, from 1066 -1087. (5)
William the Conqueror (5)
Accoplishments
There was a tremendous amount of accomplishments during the time of this dynasty. Two of the four great inventions made by Chinese were invented here. Typography and compass were both introduced. (2) Also, the already invented weapons like flamethrower, explosive grenades, firearm, canon, and landmines were improved even more. These improvements led to the winning of the Song Chinese against most of their enemies. (1)
Chinese Typography (6)
Chinese Compass (7)The Song Dynasty’s economy was in the lead – it was one of the most developed and advanced economies in the medieval times. The most prominent achievement in the Song Dynasty was the introduction of paper-printed money, which is also known as the Jiaozi. There were sources saying that the Tang was the first who actually came up with the paper money, but some sources say that the Songs were the first. However, it is sure that by the Song Dynasty, Chinese were using this paper-money. As a result, the government established their own money-making factories. These government-run factories were located in various cities like Huizhou, Chengdu, Hangzhou, and Anqi. Due to the gigantic size of these factories, there was an estimate of more than a thousand workers employed per day in the factory in Hangzhou. (1)
Paper-printed money, "Jiao zi" (8)
A new idea had emerged during this dynasty. Women were to bind their foot. Foot binding was the attempt to stop the growth of the feet. It was done first by the royalties and wealthies, but poors also did them in hopes to improve their social status. After a short period of time, almost every females in China had their feet bound. Feet binding were done at an early age because the feet would have been small then (the arch of the feet wouldn't have developed as much). Mothers would use a bandage to wrap around their daughter's feet, pulling the small toes toward the heel. (7). Although, women were in a lower social status than men (it seemed that they had even lower status than before during this dynasty), some were given education. Li Qingzhao was an example of a famous female poet in China, who lived during 1084-1551. She was one of the greatest poets in the Chinese history. (1)
(12)
Statue of Li Qingzhao in the Grand Hall of Poets in Du Fu Cao Tang (9)Due to the fact that the Northern Song made China more advanced, the increase in education to the population followed. This increase carried the literature advancements from the Tang dynasty, one of the previous dynasties that ruled China, into the Song period. The rise in culture brought China a new religion called the Neo-Confucianism, which was thought of by a scholar, Chu Hsi (also spelled Zhu xi). The three religions from the Tang period were combined in Neo-Confucianism. With this new religion, things change. Governmental positions were selected again, and they had to pass the exams over the teachings of Confucius before they could take the positions in the government. This led to a development in the country, as people who governed it actually had knowledge. This was a huge change in the country's governing system. In the olden times, people gained these power only because they believed that God wanted them to rule. (4)
A picture of the Neo-Confucianism, Chu HsiReason for Fall
The Song dynasty came to an end when a group of Mongols led by Kublai Khan overthrew the King. The Song dynasty didn’t have enough military forces to defend themselves against the rising Mongolians who were sweeping power away from countries across Asia. This event marked the end of the Song Dynasty and a new beginning for a new one - the Yuan Dynasty. (4)
A Painting of Yuan Dynasty Emperor (11)Text:
2. "Song Dynasty." TravelChinaGuide.com. Travel China Guide. 9 Jan 2008
3. "Song Dynasty." MSN encarta. Microsoft Corporation. 9 Jan 2008
4. Nosotro, Rit. "The rise and fall of the Sung Dynasty." hyperhistory.net. 09 January 2008. 9 Jan 2008
5. Gormley, Larry. "Leaders and Battles: William." Leaders and Battles Database. 9 Jan 2008. <http://www.lbdb.com/TMDisplayLeader.cfm?PID=5769>.
7. Hutchins, Candace . "Chinese Foot Binding." World Cultures Resources. 14 Jan 2008. <http://www.ccds.charlotte.nc.us/History/China/04/hutchins/hutchins.htm>.
Pictures:
1. "Song dynasty." Answers.com. Answers Corporation. 9 Jan 2008
2. Weeradet, Thanin. "Cradle of civilisation." Buddhist Channel. 1 April 2005. 9 Jan 2008
3. "Images from the article T’ai-tsu ." Britannica Online Encyclopedia. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.. 9 Jan 2008. <http://www.britannica.com/eb/topic?idxStructId=580599&typeId=17>.
4.
5. "William the Conqueror." About.com. About, Inc.,. 9 Jan 2008
6. Fisher, Rachel. "photo.phoenixfeather.net." PhoenixFeather Photos. Photoblogs.org. 9 Jan 2008
<
8. "Hua Sui." Answers.com. Answer Corporation. 9 Jan 2008
9. "Li Qingzhao." Answers.com. Answers Corporation. 9 Jan 2008
10. "Photograph: Zhu Xi." Britannica Encyclopedia. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.. 9 Jan 2008
11. "Song and Yuan swords." 9 Jan 2008
No comments:
Post a Comment