This is a reverie hypothesis, and it is also a regret that is embarrassing. The Song Dynasty, a dynasty that was historically considered poor and weak and repeatedly invaded by foreign races, actually had an astonishing degree of modernization and civilizational achievements. If it continues, perhaps China can become the strongest, most advanced and most open country in the world.
In what ways did the modernization of the Song Dynasty manifest? We can look at it from the following aspects:
Market economy and monetary economy.
The Song Dynasty was the first dynasty in Chinese history to implement a market economy and a monetary economy. It abolished the system of equal land and encouraged peasants to buy and sell land freely; It promotes a commercial tax system and promotes the development of industry and commerce; It created the world's first paper money, Jiaozi, which facilitated circulation and trade; It established a city bureau to manage overseas trade and conduct extensive exchanges with Japan, Koryo, Southeast Asia and other countries; It has emerged a large number of commercial cities and urban culture, such as Tokyo (now Kaifeng), Bianliang (now Beijing), Hangzhou, etc., all of which have a population of more than one million, and have a variety of goods, entertainment, food, clothing, etc. for people to choose from.
2. The civil service system and the imperial examination system.
The Song Dynasty was the first dynasty in Chinese history to be characterized by a weak rule of culture and martial arts. It attached importance to literati politics, and established two provinces (Zhongshu Province and Menxia Province) as the highest administrative bodies under the emperor, with Wen Chen as prime minister; It improved the imperial examination system, selected outstanding talents nationwide, and changed the content of the examination from the eight-strand text to a policy-based style, paying more attention to the examination of applied ability and political views; It advocated the participation of the scholar class in political discussions, and a variety of schools of thought and schools of thought emerged, such as theory, Taoism, and psychology.
3. Scientific and technological innovation and cultural prosperity.
The Song Dynasty was one of the most active periods of scientific and technological innovation in Chinese history. It invented three of the four great inventions that had a huge impact on world history, such as black powder, the compass, and movable type printing, and made breakthroughs in astronomy, mathematics, medicine, agriculture and other fields; It has published great scientific works such as "Mengxi Pen Talk", "Building French Style", "Taiping Huanyu" and so on; It has created a variety of literary arts, such as poetry, lyrics, songs, novels, dramas, paintings, calligraphy, sculptures, etc., and a large number of cultural celebrities such as Su Shi, Li Qingzhao, Ouyang Xiu, Lu You, and Xin Qiqian emerged.
Social change and national integration.
The Song Dynasty was one of the most profound periods of social change in Chinese history. It has a contradiction between centralization and local decentralization, which led to political reform and law change movements, such as Wang Anshi changing the law and Qingli New Deal; It led to the reorganization of social classes and interests, such as the rise of the merchant class and the decline of the peasant class; It has seen the exchange and integration of Han and ethnic minorities, which has led to the diversification of national culture and customs, such as satisfying the yearning of Genghis Khan, the founder of the Yuan Dynasty, for the culture of the Song Dynasty.
If the Song Dynasty does not die, these modernization factors will continue to develop and have a profound impact on the world. Perhaps we can imagine:
- China will have greater economic power and international influence. During the Song Dynasty, China was already one of the richest, most prosperous and most open countries in the world. If it can maintain this advantage and trade and exchange with other countries on an equal and mutually beneficial footing, then it will be able to promote its goods, technologies and culture globally and contribute more wisdom and resources to the world.
- If the Song Dynasty does not die, China will have a more advanced level of science and technology and innovation capabilities. During the Song Dynasty, China was already one of the countries with the most active scientific and technological innovation in the world. If it can maintain this advantage and trade and exchange with other countries on an equal and mutually beneficial footing, then it will be able to promote its goods, technologies and culture globally and contribute more wisdom and resources to the world.
- China will have a more advanced level of science and technology and innovation capabilities. During the Song Dynasty, China was already one of the countries with the most active scientific and technological innovation in the world. It invented three of the four great inventions: black powder, movable type printing, and the compass, and made outstanding achievements in astronomy, mathematics, medicine, agriculture, and other fields. If it can continue to develop these technologies and share and exchange them with other countries, then it can play an important role in solving the problems and challenges facing humanity.
- China will have a richer cultural heritage and dissemination power. The culture of the Song Dynasty was a period of abundance in Chinese cultural history, with fruitful results in science, literature, history, art, and science and technology. It established a sound imperial examination system, promoted the development of the education system, and influenced the selection of talents for future generations. It developed the printing industry, promoted the exchange of literature and the appreciation of art. It has created exquisite crafts such as Jingdezhen porcelain, which has won praise and appreciation from all over the world. It also spread its culture to neighboring countries and regions, such as Japan, North Korea, Vietnam, etc., and had a profound impact on them. If it can maintain this cultural prosperity and engage in more exchanges and mutual learning with other countries, then it can play an important role in elevating the human spirit and promoting world peace.
However, the political system of the Song Dynasty also had some drawbacks and shortcomings.
First, the Song Dynasty's centralization was too strong, leading to the weakening of local government and military power. This made the Song Dynasty repeatedly frustrated in foreign wars and unable to effectively resist the invasion of foreign enemies such as Liao, Jin, and Mongolia. Second, the centralization of power by the Song emperor also contributed to the expansion of the bureaucracy and the spread of corruption. In order to win the emperor's trust and favor, many officials did not hesitate to flatter and flatter, form party alliances for personal gain, exclude dissidents, and suppress public opinion. Finally, the Song Dynasty's policy of emphasizing civility over military force and internal over foreign affairs also weakened the country's overall strength. Literati and doctors dominated the upper classes of society, while warriors were treated as inferior. This led to a stark contrast between cultural prosperity and military decay.
Although the Song Dynasty was politically and militarily deficient, it achieved brilliant achievements in culture and technology.
The Song Dynasty was a period of abundance in Chinese cultural history, with fruitful results in science, literature, history, art, and science and technology. Song dynasty philosophers such as Zhou Dunyi, Cheng Yi, Cheng Hao, Zhang Zai (Northern Song Dynasty), Zhu Xi, etc., made in-depth annotations and interpretations of the Confucian classics, forming a philosophical system with "theory" as the core, which had a far-reaching impact on later generations.
Writers of the Song Dynasty, such as Su Shi, Ouyang Xiu, Wang Anshi, Li Qingzhao, etc., wrote a large number of excellent poems and essays, reaching the peak of Chinese classical literature. Historians of the Song Dynasty, such as Sima Guang and Ouyang Xiu, compiled important historical books such as "Zizhi Tongjian", "New Book of Tang" and "New History of the Five Dynasties", laying the foundation for Chinese orthodox historiography.
Artists of the Song Dynasty, such as Fan Kuan, Li Tang, Ma Yuan, etc., created many famous paintings and created a new style of landscape painting and figure painting. The Song Dynasty also appeared a long scroll represented by the "Upper River Map of the Qingming Dynasty", showing the prosperity of social life at that time. The Song Dynasty also had many famous craftsmen and technicians who made many exquisite and practical utensils and tools, such as Jingdezhen porcelain, Dasheng chimes, black powder, compasses, movable type printing, etc. These are indispensable parts of China's and even the world's cultural heritage.
To sum up, the Song Dynasty is a dynasty with rich achievements and heritage in terms of political system, culture and technology. It has both the advantages of centralization and the disadvantages of local decentralization. It has both the brilliance of cultural prosperity and the shadow of military decay. It has both an open and inclusive attitude and a conservative and closed limit. It is a complex and diverse era in Chinese history, which deserves our in-depth understanding and learning.