Song+-+Yellow

= The Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD) =

**"Like a good dynasty, Song is there!" With.... **
China Moving South! During previous dynasties, China experienced many problems with the Jurchen Mongols, living to the North of Chinese territory. The Song Dynasty found a solution to these problems: moving south. This prevented Mongol raids and kept peace between the two civilizations. In addition the southward move lead to a smaller territory with just as large a population. This, and the loss of farming land brought about a rush of urbinization and allowed for the government to have more control.

A migrating farmer says: "I'm glad China is migrating south, so I no longer have to live in fear of the Mongols."

Migration by Ta﻿xa﻿tion! In there new southern territory, cities thrived as people flocked to ﻿them. This was partially a result of taxes aimed at common farmers. A seemingly bad situation was quickly turned around when farmers moved to urban areas to avoid taxes. In the cities, the farmers experienced many luxuries unavailable to them in the countryside. They now had the option of pursuing specialized jobs leading to many creation of useful inventions and providing more money for them than farming.

A past farmer now living in a city exclaims, "I love city life! After leaving my farm I moved to the city and became a banker. I have so much more time﻿ to devote to learning and meet many brilliant people with great ideas!"

Transportation! The Song Dynasty had paved roads that spread through all of Southern China. Paved with durable stones or bricks, the roads had efficient drainage systems to keep the roads dry allowing for convenient travel. Along with road travel, maritime movement was also made easier by the invention of more advanced rutters. These allowed sailors to not only sail with the current but against it as well.

A traveling farmer says," We arrived in the city in half the time than expected thanks to these wonderful highways!" New Inventions! Many new and useful devices were invented in the Song dynasty. Among these inventions were moveable typing blocks, gunpowder, and the magnetic compass. Moveable typing blocks allowed for faster prints which lead to the promotion of the sacred Confucian text, the Canon. Another invention, gunpowder, completely changed military tactics and warfare. Gunpowder also led to the invention of multistage rockets, which historian Joseph Needham states were essential to the invention steam engines. Also,the magnetic compass revolutionized trade and exploration.

A trader in the Song Dynasty raves," With the magnetic compass, my trade ships never get lost and arrive on time!" Lines of Credit, Currency and the Beginning of Banking! Business during the Song Dynasty was incredibly successful due to the government’s establishment of banking, lines of credit and paper currency. Banking served two purposes. The first was to protect a business’ money and savings. The second was to issue lines of credit. Lines of credit are comparable to loans today. They allowed businesses to receive large amounts of money from the bank and later, businesses were obliged to pay it back. This system of banking and lines of credit sustained businesses throughout the Song Dynasty. Before the Song, the Tang Empire used metal currency. Although this method worked well initially, traders soon found it impossible to carry these coins over long distances. Paper money solved this issue. Now merchants were able to carry large amounts of cash with them for extended periods of time.

<span style="color: #871212; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">Because business was now done on a corporate level, goods were being distributed farther throughout Song China. Many people purchased items which they had never owned before. In addition to trade within the country, paper money also made transcontinental exchange possible. A thriving caravan route ran from the Song Empire all the way to Central Asia and India. Finally, the economy prospered. Many business owners became extremely wealthy and consumers were able to buy a wide range of products. This wealth was then used, in part, to pay off the ﻿Jurchen Mongols in the north.

<span style="color: #871212; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">A happy Song businessman says,"Thanks to lines of credit, I was able to start my own business and provide for my fami <span style="color: #871212; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">ly."
 * <span style="color: #e96b3a; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Bibliography **
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 * Yates, Robin D. S. "China's Age of Invention." Interview by NOVA. November 2000. **
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