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Gunpowder, the compass and paper money: China's commercial and scientific golden age.

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Song Dynasty · 960-1279 AD
宋 · Song

The Song Dynasty

From the reunification under Taizu and a commercial revolution of cities, paper money and ocean trade through the inventions of gunpowder, the compass and printing, the loss of the north to the Jurchen and the brilliance of the Southern Song, to the neo-Confucian synthesis of Zhu Xi and the Mongol conquest of 1279. Slide across the centuries to read the major events of China's most inventive age.

960 AD
The Northern Song
1 / 7

Emperor Taizu founds the Song

The general Zhao Kuangyin reunites most of China and founds the Song, curbing the power of the army for good.

960 AD

The Northern Song
  • Political

    Emperor Taizu founds the Song

    Emperor Taizu, founder of the Song dynasty
    Via Wikimedia Commons

    The general Zhao Kuangyin reunites most of China and founds the Song, curbing the power of the army for good.

7 milestones

Meanwhile

Around 960 AD

Full Chronicle

The Song Dynasty

From the reunification under Taizu and a commercial revolution of cities, paper money and ocean trade through the inventions of gunpowder, the compass and printing, the loss of the north to the Jurchen and the brilliance of the Southern Song, to the neo-Confucian synthesis of Zhu Xi and the Mongol conquest of 1279. Slide across the centuries to read the major events of China's most inventive age.

  1. The Northern Song

    • Emperor Taizu founds the Song

      The general Zhao Kuangyin reunites most of China and founds the Song, curbing the power of the army for good.

  2. The Northern Song

    • Paper money and a commercial revolution

      The Song state issues the world's first government paper money amid a booming economy of cities and trade.

  3. The Northern Song

    • Gunpowder, the compass, and printing

      Song engineers harness gunpowder for war, the magnetic compass for navigation, and movable type for printing.

  4. The Southern Song

    • The Jin conquer the north

      The Jurchen Jin sack Kaifeng and seize north China; the Song court flees south and rules from Hangzhou.

  5. The Southern Song

    • Zhu Xi and Neo-Confucianism

      The philosopher Zhu Xi reshapes Confucian thought into a grand system that will dominate China for centuries.

  6. The Southern Song

    • The splendour of Hangzhou

      Hangzhou grows into perhaps the largest and richest city in the world, a marvel of gardens, markets and art.

  7. The Mongol Conquest

    • The Mongols destroy the Song

      At the sea battle of Yamen the last Song resistance is crushed, and all China falls to the Mongols for the first time.