The Song Dynasty in China ruled from 907 to 1276. In the late 13th century, after traveling through much of Asia, Marco Polo recognized China as the most advanced place in the world. During the Song Dynasty, great advances were made in the fields of agriculture and industry. The population grew rapidly during this time and more and more people preferred to live in cities. A 12th century handscroll by Zhang Zeduan often referred to as the Beijing Qingming scroll, measuring 25.5 centimeters in height (10.03 inches) and stretching 5.25 meters (5.74 yards) done in monochrome ink on silk, depicted urban living during this time. By the time of the scroll, the market system has expanded and merchants shifted from using bolts of silk and coins as currency to using the worlds first paper money which was eventually controlled by the government. Like the city in the scroll, the Song capitals boasted a lively street life, teeming with restaurants, taverns, markets, houses on the street and most importantly lively crowds.
Although, as observed by Professor Valerie Hansen of The University of Albany, there is a surprisingly relative absence of women in the scroll. According to Hansen, of the five hundred people shown in the scroll, only twenty or so are women. This may be attributed to the roles played in Chinese society. Women were not confined at home but had no more power outside it. Inside the family, however, women played a significant role. They did much of the child rearing, selected spouses for their children, and maintained strong ties with their sons after they were grown up and married as their sons stayed at home. With the expansion of the educated class, more women were allowed to read and write and used this knowledge to tutor their children at home. Still, the Song is often seen as a time when the status of women declined as compared to Tang times, women were less active in politics and less commonly seen in the streets.
A new form of poetry called ci or chih (shih) became the prime form of poetry used in the Song Dynasty. These were actually lyrics composed to certain melodies. The ci form of poetry was brought to its greatest heights through the efforts of Chinas most renowned female poet, Li Ching-chao. Her sensitivity to the aesthetic and poetic quality of the world she lived in earned her a distinction among the other poets during her time. Her poems were vastly inspired by her happily married life, the death of her husband and the loneliness of growing old alone. Often, Li Ching-chaos interest in nature is also revealed in her poems. In the poem Remorse (to the tune of Rouged Lips), she describes a deep sorrow for her husbands absence and longing for his return. This could have been written after his husband started his official career and was often away from home. The lines I loved the Spring, But the Spring is gone describes the Autumn season which could indicate the length of time shes been yearning for his husbands return. This grows more evident towards the end of the poem where she says Where is he Withered grass stretches to the horizon. And hides from sight. Any road by which he might return. Her choice of words is very simple and yet you could picture her sorrow and restlessness that she wants to convey in this poem.
Li Ching-chao uses simple, often colloquial language to depict her intense emotions. Combined with her talent for other forms of poetry, her prose writing, her painting and calligraphy, and her knowledge of art, she is now regarded as one of the most versatile female artists in Chinese history. Her work has been critiqued by a lot of literary figures during her time. Her work not only was compared to female writers but also to notable male writers before and after her time. Surprisingly, her literary contributions influenced later generations of mostly male poetry. Some would even go to the extent of incorporating exact lines in some of her poems in their own work. It is no wonder then that she is regarded as the largest literary contributor during the Song Dynasty.
Another personality who made a great impact on Chinese culture during the Song Dynasty is the prose writer Han Yu. He took the Imperial Civil Service Exam at age 23, believing he would certainly pass because he was pleased with his essays. It turned out that most scholars at the time favored Parallel prose focusing on rhyme, rhythms, couplets and literary allusions, while neglecting content. Han Yu was also a strong advocator of Confucianorthodoxy and wanted to restore a Confucian social and political order to a society long accustomed to Buddhist and Taoist teachings. He started the Classical Prose Movement which aimed to break away from the rigid structure of Parallel prose. The movement also had political and religious aspects as Confucian scholars tried to combat the influence of Buddhism and Taoism which some saw as an effective tool to expose the reality of corruption and weakness in the central government. His arguments against these teachings are noted in his famous essay Essentials of the Moral Way, presenting mostly moral, economic and social points of view rather than philosophical.
Han Yus Essentials of the Moral Way is divided into seven sections. The first two sections are prologue in which he defines terms and explains the historical trends that have led to the demise of Confucian teachings in his day. The third and fourth sections criticizes the Buddhist and Taoist monks, arguing that the monks are nonproductive and exist on the labor of others, thus creating economic and social disruption. The fifth section is the heart of the text. In this section, Han Yu states that Confucian spirituality, unlike Buddhists and Taoists, links the private, moral life of an individual with the public welfare of the state. In the sixth and seventh sections, he urges readers to live with the Moral Way or The Way according to the teachings of Confucius and not that of the Buddhists and Taoists, to act according to what should be done and to revive the teachings of Confucius which were passed on from generation to generation and make them a part of their everyday lives.
The focus on art and literature during the Song Dynasty led to a lot of avenues for a writers and artists. The Chinese ceramics of the Song Dynasty constitute perhaps the foremost expression of ceramic art, not on in China but in the whole world. During this time, China was already a ceramics-exporting country. Many kinds of ceramic objects were produced cups, bowls, and plates as well as boxes, ink slabs and headrests. These were decoration using a variety of techniques ranging from painting and carving to stamping, molding and firing.
Songs aesthetic sophistication matched by incredible inventiveness led to a variety of classic wares, usually associated with one region in China. These included the court-patronized Lung-chuan celadons. This piece of art is famous for being the most refined greenware of Song. Manufactured at several sites in southwestern Chekiang province in south China, it evolved as a beautiful blue-green tactile glaze on a fine, durable porcelain body. Lung-chuan vessels produced during Northern Sung (960-1127) were typically decorated with a carved or combed decoration under a green glaze. This inheritance was carried to a superb realization during the Southern Sung (1127-1279) however when the court moved to Hangchou. With court patronage, Lung-chuan potters rapidly refined their vessel shapes and lime-alkali glazes. The finest of these celadons had simple, elegant, well-proportioned shapes covered in a wide range of thick lustrous blue-green glazes that resembled polished jade. Several of these shapes were based on ancient bronzes that were patronized by the scholar class as well as the court. Southern Sung Lung-chuang glazes were highly revered and imitated by the Ching court during the 18th century. These blue-green wares became popular in Japan, the Ryukyus and throughout Southeast Asia. In western Europe, this highly prized bluish-green porcelain became known as celadon.
The Qing-ming scroll, Li Ching-chaos poems, Han Yus philosophical writings and the Lung-chuan celadons are only a few things that made a great impact not only to Chinese history but also to the world at large. The innovations during the Song Dynasty continue to impact our lives until today. Many ways of living and acting that Westerners now see as most thoroughly Chinese, or even characteristically East Asian, did not appear before the Song.
The Chinese people as we see today are rice eaters and tea drinkers but rice and tea only became dominant during the Song with the developments in rice cultivation.
We know that China currently has the largest population in the world but the first population explosion in China happened in the Song.
The ancient costume of feet-binding among Chinese women only occurred in the Song.
In the eleventh, twelfth and thirteenth centuries, China was the leading society in the world. Marco Polo even confirmed this in his travel journals as he mentions that neither Venice where he came from nor other countries in Europe and Asia that he passed through could compare to China in terms of agricultural productivity, industrial technology, sophistication of commercial organization, urbanization or standard of living.
In the words of Phillip D. Curtin
Between ... 960 and ... 1127, China passed through a phase of economic growth that was unprecedented in earlier Chinese history, perhaps in world history up to this time. It depended on a combination of commercialization, urbanization, and industrialization that has led some authorities to compare this period in Chinese history with the development of early modern Europe six centuries later.
Indeed, the Song Dynasty is undeniably a period of unparalleled growth and success.
Although, as observed by Professor Valerie Hansen of The University of Albany, there is a surprisingly relative absence of women in the scroll. According to Hansen, of the five hundred people shown in the scroll, only twenty or so are women. This may be attributed to the roles played in Chinese society. Women were not confined at home but had no more power outside it. Inside the family, however, women played a significant role. They did much of the child rearing, selected spouses for their children, and maintained strong ties with their sons after they were grown up and married as their sons stayed at home. With the expansion of the educated class, more women were allowed to read and write and used this knowledge to tutor their children at home. Still, the Song is often seen as a time when the status of women declined as compared to Tang times, women were less active in politics and less commonly seen in the streets.
A new form of poetry called ci or chih (shih) became the prime form of poetry used in the Song Dynasty. These were actually lyrics composed to certain melodies. The ci form of poetry was brought to its greatest heights through the efforts of Chinas most renowned female poet, Li Ching-chao. Her sensitivity to the aesthetic and poetic quality of the world she lived in earned her a distinction among the other poets during her time. Her poems were vastly inspired by her happily married life, the death of her husband and the loneliness of growing old alone. Often, Li Ching-chaos interest in nature is also revealed in her poems. In the poem Remorse (to the tune of Rouged Lips), she describes a deep sorrow for her husbands absence and longing for his return. This could have been written after his husband started his official career and was often away from home. The lines I loved the Spring, But the Spring is gone describes the Autumn season which could indicate the length of time shes been yearning for his husbands return. This grows more evident towards the end of the poem where she says Where is he Withered grass stretches to the horizon. And hides from sight. Any road by which he might return. Her choice of words is very simple and yet you could picture her sorrow and restlessness that she wants to convey in this poem.
Li Ching-chao uses simple, often colloquial language to depict her intense emotions. Combined with her talent for other forms of poetry, her prose writing, her painting and calligraphy, and her knowledge of art, she is now regarded as one of the most versatile female artists in Chinese history. Her work has been critiqued by a lot of literary figures during her time. Her work not only was compared to female writers but also to notable male writers before and after her time. Surprisingly, her literary contributions influenced later generations of mostly male poetry. Some would even go to the extent of incorporating exact lines in some of her poems in their own work. It is no wonder then that she is regarded as the largest literary contributor during the Song Dynasty.
Another personality who made a great impact on Chinese culture during the Song Dynasty is the prose writer Han Yu. He took the Imperial Civil Service Exam at age 23, believing he would certainly pass because he was pleased with his essays. It turned out that most scholars at the time favored Parallel prose focusing on rhyme, rhythms, couplets and literary allusions, while neglecting content. Han Yu was also a strong advocator of Confucianorthodoxy and wanted to restore a Confucian social and political order to a society long accustomed to Buddhist and Taoist teachings. He started the Classical Prose Movement which aimed to break away from the rigid structure of Parallel prose. The movement also had political and religious aspects as Confucian scholars tried to combat the influence of Buddhism and Taoism which some saw as an effective tool to expose the reality of corruption and weakness in the central government. His arguments against these teachings are noted in his famous essay Essentials of the Moral Way, presenting mostly moral, economic and social points of view rather than philosophical.
Han Yus Essentials of the Moral Way is divided into seven sections. The first two sections are prologue in which he defines terms and explains the historical trends that have led to the demise of Confucian teachings in his day. The third and fourth sections criticizes the Buddhist and Taoist monks, arguing that the monks are nonproductive and exist on the labor of others, thus creating economic and social disruption. The fifth section is the heart of the text. In this section, Han Yu states that Confucian spirituality, unlike Buddhists and Taoists, links the private, moral life of an individual with the public welfare of the state. In the sixth and seventh sections, he urges readers to live with the Moral Way or The Way according to the teachings of Confucius and not that of the Buddhists and Taoists, to act according to what should be done and to revive the teachings of Confucius which were passed on from generation to generation and make them a part of their everyday lives.
The focus on art and literature during the Song Dynasty led to a lot of avenues for a writers and artists. The Chinese ceramics of the Song Dynasty constitute perhaps the foremost expression of ceramic art, not on in China but in the whole world. During this time, China was already a ceramics-exporting country. Many kinds of ceramic objects were produced cups, bowls, and plates as well as boxes, ink slabs and headrests. These were decoration using a variety of techniques ranging from painting and carving to stamping, molding and firing.
Songs aesthetic sophistication matched by incredible inventiveness led to a variety of classic wares, usually associated with one region in China. These included the court-patronized Lung-chuan celadons. This piece of art is famous for being the most refined greenware of Song. Manufactured at several sites in southwestern Chekiang province in south China, it evolved as a beautiful blue-green tactile glaze on a fine, durable porcelain body. Lung-chuan vessels produced during Northern Sung (960-1127) were typically decorated with a carved or combed decoration under a green glaze. This inheritance was carried to a superb realization during the Southern Sung (1127-1279) however when the court moved to Hangchou. With court patronage, Lung-chuan potters rapidly refined their vessel shapes and lime-alkali glazes. The finest of these celadons had simple, elegant, well-proportioned shapes covered in a wide range of thick lustrous blue-green glazes that resembled polished jade. Several of these shapes were based on ancient bronzes that were patronized by the scholar class as well as the court. Southern Sung Lung-chuang glazes were highly revered and imitated by the Ching court during the 18th century. These blue-green wares became popular in Japan, the Ryukyus and throughout Southeast Asia. In western Europe, this highly prized bluish-green porcelain became known as celadon.
The Qing-ming scroll, Li Ching-chaos poems, Han Yus philosophical writings and the Lung-chuan celadons are only a few things that made a great impact not only to Chinese history but also to the world at large. The innovations during the Song Dynasty continue to impact our lives until today. Many ways of living and acting that Westerners now see as most thoroughly Chinese, or even characteristically East Asian, did not appear before the Song.
The Chinese people as we see today are rice eaters and tea drinkers but rice and tea only became dominant during the Song with the developments in rice cultivation.
We know that China currently has the largest population in the world but the first population explosion in China happened in the Song.
The ancient costume of feet-binding among Chinese women only occurred in the Song.
In the eleventh, twelfth and thirteenth centuries, China was the leading society in the world. Marco Polo even confirmed this in his travel journals as he mentions that neither Venice where he came from nor other countries in Europe and Asia that he passed through could compare to China in terms of agricultural productivity, industrial technology, sophistication of commercial organization, urbanization or standard of living.
In the words of Phillip D. Curtin
Between ... 960 and ... 1127, China passed through a phase of economic growth that was unprecedented in earlier Chinese history, perhaps in world history up to this time. It depended on a combination of commercialization, urbanization, and industrialization that has led some authorities to compare this period in Chinese history with the development of early modern Europe six centuries later.
Indeed, the Song Dynasty is undeniably a period of unparalleled growth and success.
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