N. Song Dynasty: Economic Development

Late Five Dynasties 907-960

Later Han (947-50)

Later Zhou (95l-960)

Guo Wei (r. 951-54)

Later Han general

Guo [Chia] Rong (r. 954-60)

Adopted son of Guo Wei

Military success and domestic popularity

7-year old son succeeds

*Song Dynasty

Zhao Kuangyin

Later Zhou general

*“Virtuous succession”

Emperor Taizu (r. 960-76)

Conquest of most of the south

Taizong (r. 976-997)

Younger brother

Solves succession problem

Unification completed

S. Tang, 976

N. Han (Shanxi), 979

Division into two periods

N. Song (960-1127)

Capital at Kaifeng

S. Song (1127-1279)

Capital at Hangzhou

Earliest surviving contemporary official portraits

“Confucian-style” dress

Empress Cao wife of Song Emperor Renzong, r. 1023-63 (Click on image at upper right, National Palace Museum, Taibei, ROC)

Development of the South

Sui (ca. 600)

 23% of population

 26 to 43% of population

 50% of the population

 65% of population

Hansen dates this population shift to 980 (2nd ed., p. 239, n.1)

Factors Involved in Pop. Shift

1) Warfare in north

16 Kingdoms (311-386)

An Lushan rebellion (755-63)

Late Tang rebellions and civil war (874-907)

Conflict during 5 Dynasties (907-60)

2) Development of large estates

Tenant farmers and laborers under late Tang
Bound “serfs” under Song

40% of population

Allows greater mobilization of labor

Rice paddies

Irrigation canals

3) Early ripening rice varieties (Champa rice)

Double cropping

4) According to Zhang Ling in “Changing with the Yellow River: An Environmental History of Hebei, 1048-1128," why does flooding of the Yellow River play a role?

Consequences of Grain Surplus

Population growth

Tang, 60 million
N. Song, 100 million in 1100

Urbanization (grain and cheap water transport)

Tang

1 city with 1 million people (Chang’an)

N. Song

 10 cities, 1+ million people

S. Song

Hangzhou, 4 million

“Peace Reigns over the River”

Expansion of Money Economy

Cash was 3.1% of revenue in 749

Cash was 51.6% of revenue in 1065

20 times Tang maximum

Merchants in S.W. issued paper notes in response to coin shortage

Initially backed by 29% cash reserve

Example of surviving Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) paper money

Technological advances

*Paper

What are the drawbacks to these writing materials?

Turtle plastron, ca. 1200 BCE

Silk cloth, ca. 300 BCE

Bamboo strips, ca. 300 BCE

Proto-paper, 1st c. AD
Commonly used, 3rd-4th c.

*Woodblock Printing

Buddhist invention 7th c.

Books in scroll format 9th c.

Diamond Sutra, 868

Diamond Sutra full printed scroll

Bookbinding

Moveable type, 1048

Social consequences of printing?

Iron

Production of 125,000 tons of iron, 1078

1.4 kg (3.1 lbs.)/person

Not matched in Europe until 1700