The Song Dynasty thrived from 960 to 1279. In 960 a general by the name of Taizu reunited China and made himself emperor. The Song never regained the western territory that they lost after 751. They also never regained the northern territory that they lost to the Nomadic tribes during the Tang's decline. The Song invented many things including porcelain which helped increased trade, paper money which supported the economy and made it easier to trade because people could carry more paper money then coin. They also had gunpowder which helped bring money because it was hard to come by therefore the Song people could sell it for a lot of money, and then invented a compass which enabled the Song to expand their trade and travel over the sea. The song attempted to bribe their northern enemies for peace by giving them silver, silk, and tea every year. Although that failed. The Song were fought out by the Jin forcing them to move south. The Song rulers had to move their capital so they moved their capital to Hangzhou. Which was a southern coastal city named Chang Jiang. Due to it being near the ocean this drastically helped their trading. In 1127-1279 The Song were very strong economic wise. They were conquered by the Mongols which leads us to believe that they didn’t spend enough time on their military which left them vulnerable to anyone who was brave enough to attack them.
Song Dynasty
