SONG DYNASTY SCROLLS ANALYSIS

SONG DYNASTY SCROLLS ANALYSIS

Bridge Scene
1. men on wayward boat: a strong current has pushed this boat off course. Here we see the men trying to keep the boat from crashing into the bridge.
2. men below bridge trying to keep boat on course
5. sedan chair and carriers
6. vendor by bridge
8. men on boat that has safely passed under bridge
9. men with wheelbarrow
11. food vendor by the shore
13. workmen wearing ankle-length pants carrying baskets

Gate Scene
1. a group of young scholars
2. workmen pulling wheelbarrow
15. a camel caravan

Street Scene
8. bow and arrow shop
11. a street vendor
12. a storyteller
13. a well off man on horseback, following an entourage of sedanchairs.

Urbanization
As in previous dynasties, the Song's largest cities were its capitals — Kaifeng during the Northern Song and Hangzhou after the dynasty was confined to the South, (1127-1279).

Song capitals boasted a lively street life, with markets, shops, and restaurants about which we know in surprising detail. Kaifeng had an external wall, but its population spilled beyond it. The wall we see in the scroll has lost its military purpose, but its gate — seen here — still forms an impressive entrance into the city.

Commercialization: Markets and Transport

Rural markets, as well as cities and towns, facilitated the exchange of goods and services. Some of the products on sale in this city depicted in the scroll would have come from nearby farms, but others came from far away. For heavy transport there were wagons and large wheelbarrows, while camels linked China to the world beyond the deserts.

Water transport, however, has always been far cheaper than going over land. The South, with its many rivers and waterways, had an advantage in this respect, but northern cities too were served by water transport. International maritime trade also flourished during this time. China became a major center of trade with Southeast and South Asia, as well as with Korea and Japan.
Economic Growth and Technology

The Song saw an impressive development of iron and steel production for agricultural tools and for such new developments as chains for suspension bridges. Gun-powder was also used to good effect in mining.

The Chinese were also world leaders in ship-building including water-tight compartments and stern-post rudders. They navigated with the aid of (south-pointing) compasses, another Chinese invention.

Social Change: Civil Service
Since the Sui Dynasty (581-617), passing a series of examinations led to office in the civil service. It was only in the Song, however, that the examination system came to be considered the normal ladder to success, though even then many took alternate routes.

Examination taking could become a lifetime endeavor. Competition was keen from the start, but became intolerable by the end of the Song Dynasty.

Intellectual Life: Printing and Education

Movable type printing was invented earlier in Chinese history, but did not come into wide use until the Song dynasty.

When it did come into common use, printing provided much wider access to books than had been the case when manuscripts were laboriously copied by hand.

The availability of inexpensive texts led to an increase in literacy. One result was that more families could afford to finance a son's education, which led to a swelling of the ranks of examination candidates.

Another was that it gave a boost to the development of drama and other forms of popular culture. The story tellers in our scroll may have benefited from perusing prompt books.

Reflection:
Now that you have thoroughly examined the scroll about Song China, write a paragraph responding to the following question:

Based on the ranking system that you created defining a successful society, to what extent (absolutely/not at all/somewhat/mostly) would you consider China during the Song Dynasty to be successful?

**In your answer you should note the top five characteristics you chose in your ranking and scenes in the scroll. You may also, if you wish, reference concrete details from pp. 323-329 in your book, the section covering the Tang and Song Dynasties.

Main argument (thesis): China during the Song Dynasty was ________________________ a successful civilization.

Explanation of argument in 7-10 sentences (include 3-4 concrete details as evidence to support your argument)
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Lesson by Robert Valaas, Newport High School, Bellevue, WA