The Zhao and Song dynasties are obsessed with, a regime that did not unify the whole country, but was regarded by later generations as the peak of enlightened despotism, what did the Southern and Northern Song Dynasties rely on? Some people say that the Song Dynasty was enlightened, respected knowledge, and advocated economic exchanges, bringing about economic development that had never been seen in ancient times.
Nowadays, Western governments are all civilian officials ruling the country and civilian officials ruling the army. As early as a thousand years ago, the Song Dynasty established this national policy. However, some opponents believe that the civilian rule of the army led to the weakening of the Song Dynasty's military force and repeated bullying by the northern regime, but it has to be said that in the 12th century, this ancient oriental country had surpassed the world to become the most developed region, and the urbanization at that time was unparalleled in the world.
In terms of technology, craftsmanship, system, society, life, entertainment, and art, it is also the object of imitation by neighboring countries. In fact, the Chinese civilization started late among the world's major civilizations, and it was not until the Song Dynasty that it just ranked first in the world.
It not only affected the surrounding countries, but also brought a different impact to the world, due to the emphasis on commerce, the per capita income of the Song Dynasty at that time was already very high, according to historians according to the model, the per capita GDP in the early years of the Song Dynasty was 400 US dollars, and in the last years of the Northern Song Dynasty, it was increased to 600 US dollars. Europe at the time was only $420, and since the Song Dynasty, no dynasty has been able to surpass the former in terms of GDP per capita.
The wealth of the Song Dynasty was based on enlightened tolerance, and it was precisely because society was given a certain amount of free space, the military technology and agricultural production technology at that time were greatly developed, and the keel water wheel for water conservancy facilities appeared in the south. The cattle were also equipped with more advanced plows, and the efficiency of turning the soil was more than doubled.
Later tomb excavations also found that the Song Dynasty agricultural tools were very delicate. At that time, various books related to production were printed, such as silkworm books, agricultural instrument genealogies, etc. began to circulate in the folk.
Although the Southern Song Dynasty lost militarily, it divided a corner, but after a period of development, the economic strength still far exceeded that of the Northern Jin Dynasty. In the water conservancy industry, it can be seen that the ancient books say, "After the southern crossing, the benefits of the paddy fields are rich in the Central Plains, so the water conservancy is greatly developed." "The Song Dynasty attached great importance to the construction of water conservancy, and the level of building embankments has also been greatly improved, with preliminary engineering capabilities.
Tea in the Song Dynasty has become a popular commodity in the market, exported overseas, producing 15 million catties of tea per year, which has greatly increased tax revenue, and kapok from India has also been promoted by the Southern Song Government to the Yangtze River Basin.
Jiangnan region has always been the hometown of Fish and Rice in China, but in the Northern Song Dynasty, the yield per mu has reached 4 stones, this level has long exceeded the Sheng Tang, the most worth mentioning is that the handicraft industry of the Southern Song Dynasty is very developed, a variety of workshops are dazzling, and the delicacy of the industry is unprecedented.
Porcelain in the Song Dynasty is very famous, whether it is a folk kiln factory or an official kiln, it has a very high level of production. In the firearms manufacturing, printing and papermaking industries, the Song Dynasty was also a world leader, further fueling the empire's economy.
In terms of mining, due to the needs of production, the output of gold, silver, copper and iron is very high, and there are more than 100,000 miners working in Jiangxi alone all year round, and the smelting technology has also been greatly improved.
The most proud is the shipbuilding industry of the Song Dynasty, if you want to develop commerce, you can either take the Silk Road, or you can only take a ship to the sea, whether it is shipping or shipping, the development of shipbuilding industry is the foundation. At the time of Zhenzong, there were more than 2,900 large and small ships produced in a year, and during the Northern Song Dynasty, it was possible to build ships with huge loads, one that could carry 1,000 tons, and at that time, the compass had become the standard for the Chinese fleet.
Because of the rise of handicraft workshops, the status of various craftsmen has been significantly improved, and they have become a high-income group. In the past, the status of craftsmen was not guaranteed, and these people could completely break away from the cultivated land and use their craft to win their own habitat in the city.
During the Northern Song Dynasty, the world's first paper money cross appeared in Sichuan, and then received the attention of the Northern Song government. The exchange of goods with jiaozi made the imperial court profitable and greatly facilitated the merchants. Although it later caused a financial crisis, its emergence was of great significance.
The economic prosperity of the Song Dynasty is by no means unimaginable today, and the financial revenue of the Ming Dynasty, which has a much larger territory, is less than 2.5% of that of the Northern Song Dynasty, less than 4% of the Southern Song Dynasty, you know, the two Han dynasties were separated by more than 300 years. Moreover, due to the introduction of sweet potato cultivation during the Ming Dynasty, the population has soared, and the population of the two sides is not on the same level.
Strong finances also bought a lot of strategic time for the Northern and Southern Song Dynasties, although they have not been able to be tough on the North, but they have survived the death of several foreign regimes, including the Great Liao, Western Xia, and jinguo, until the Fall of the Song Dynasty in mongolia, but the Southern Song Dynasty lasted for half a century under the crazy attack of the Mongols, and the Mongol military seals have reached the whole world, so the title of weak Song is too slanderous, Chen Yinke said, "The culture of the Chinese nation, which has evolved over thousands of years, was created in the world of Zhao and Song." ”
Reference: History of the Song Dynasty