The Southern Song Period: The Golden Age Of China
The Southern Song period is known as the Golden Age of China. This is because many important developments that have occurred throughout the Southern Song period such as innovation, technological development as well as urbanization. These developments are key because they closely resemble the Industrial Revolution of the West, or it was like the Chinese version of the Industrial Revolution. First of all you had urbanization of several cities. This includes a large growth in the population in cities, a growth in ports, and a growth in canals. According to the text, “Suzhou and Fuzhou each had well over 1 million people” and “Hangzhou, the new capital, may have reached a population size of 1.5 million” (154 author) This is significant
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These technological developments ranged from water powered mills, machines for weaving textile fibers, and canal locks. This technological advancements are important because, “It looks reminiscent of eighteenth-century Europe: commercialization, urbanization, a widening market (including overseas), rising demand, and hence both the incentive and the capital to pursue mechanical invention and other measures to increase production” (155). In other words the technological advancements resemble western Europe through the rise of urbanization, and commercialization. There were also machines that facilitated agriculture, manufacturing and transportation. Although, it may resemble the west, it does not entirely the same because the Industrial Revolution gave rise to the political economic system of Capitalism. Which resulted in the Marxism. Instead, in the Southern Song Period of China, there was a rise of Neo-Confucianism. Neo-Confucianism is important because it emphasized the scientific investigation of things. This led to anew philosophy and new way thinking. The Neo-Confucian philosophy can reflect the west through scientific inquiry. Likewise, a number of innovations also occurred. These innovation are important because innovations help create urbanization, commercialization, and a growing economy that all resemble the Industrial Revolution of the
These technological developments ranged from water powered mills, machines for weaving textile fibers, and canal locks. This technological advancements are important because, “It looks reminiscent of eighteenth-century Europe: commercialization, urbanization, a widening market (including overseas), rising demand, and hence both the incentive and the capital to pursue mechanical invention and other measures to increase production” (155). In other words the technological advancements resemble western Europe through the rise of urbanization, and commercialization. There were also machines that facilitated agriculture, manufacturing and transportation. Although, it may resemble the west, it does not entirely the same because the Industrial Revolution gave rise to the political economic system of Capitalism. Which resulted in the Marxism. Instead, in the Southern Song Period of China, there was a rise of Neo-Confucianism. Neo-Confucianism is important because it emphasized the scientific investigation of things. This led to anew philosophy and new way thinking. The Neo-Confucian philosophy can reflect the west through scientific inquiry. Likewise, a number of innovations also occurred. These innovation are important because innovations help create urbanization, commercialization, and a growing economy that all resemble the Industrial Revolution of the