Definition: The Song Dynasty in China was established in 960 AD, after the fall of the Tang Dynasty and fifty years of chaos. Led by a series of elite scholar-officials, China was reunified under the Northern Song (AD 960-1126). In 1126 the Northern Song were taken over by the Jin Empire. The Southern Song (AD 1126-1278) continued to lead south of the Yangtze River; but in 1278, the Mongols, led first by Genghis Khan and then Kublai Khan, took over China. The Song Dynasty is known for splendid porcelains, silk weaving, and metallurgy.
Source
Seagraves, Julie M. 1996. Song and Tang Dynasties. pp 144-146 in Oxford Companion to Archaeology, edited by Brian M. Fagan. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
This glossary entry is part of the Dictionary of Archaeology.
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Capital cities include Kaifeng (Henan Province), Quanzhou (Fujian Province) and Hangzhou (Zhejiang province). Leaders included the reformist Wang Anshi and the Confucianist Chu Hsi (1130-1200).
