

The leader of the Mongols, Kublai Khan, conquered all of China and began his own dynasty, the Yuan dynasty.

The Mongols helped them to conquer the Jin, but then turned on the Song. The Song dynasty came to an end when they allied with the Mongols against their longtime enemies, the Jin. He wrote the famous "Treatise on Tea" which described the tea ceremony in detail. Tea became popular during this time as well due to the efforts of tea lover Emperor Huizong. This new rice allowed farmers to have two harvests in a single year, doubling the amount of rice they could grow. Drought-resistant and fast-growing rice was introduced to southern China. It was during the Song dynasty that rice became such an important crop for the Chinese. A high value was put on education and many of the nobles were very well educated. Painting and the performing arts were also very popular. Poetry and literature were especially popular with the invention of moveable type and the availability of books to many people. The arts flourished under the Song dynasty. Unfortunately for the Song, the Mongols copied their ideas and ended up using these weapons against them. They developed various bombs, rockets, and fire arrows. The Song used gunpowder for fireworks, but also found ways to use it in battle. Gunpowder had a lasting impact on warfare. They built large ships over 300 feet long that had watertight compartments and onboard catapults that could toss huge rocks onto their enemies. The Song dynasty had the first standing navy in world history. The magnetic compass was part of many improvements in boating and navigation.

Other products were printed on paper in great quantities including paper money, playing cards, and calendars. Millions of copies were made of some popular books allowing books to become affordable to everyone. The invention of moveable type allowed for mass printings of documents and books. Some of the most important inventions in the history of Ancient China were made during this time including moveable type, gunpowder, and the magnetic compass. The period of rule under the Song dynasty was a time of great advancements and invention. Once the Mongols had conquered the Jin, they turned on the Southern Song and captured all of China. After paying the Jin for over 100 years, the Southern Song allied with the Mongols to conquer the Jin. The Southern Song paid a fee each year to the Jin in order to maintain the peace. He established the Southern Song in southern China. When the Jin conquered the Northern Song, the son of the last emperor escaped to the south. This weakened his army and eventually caused the fall of the Northern Song to the Jin peoples. However, he also appointed scholars to lead his army. After refusing three times eventually he took the robe and became Emperor Taizu, establishing the Song dynasty.Įmperor Taizu reunited much of China under his rule. Legend has it that his troops no longer wanted to serve the current emperor and begged Zhao to wear the yellow robe. The Song dynasty was founded by a general named Zhao Kuangyin. The history of the Song dynasty is usually divided up between the Northern Song and the Southern Song.
