o Overview
-> Song governance
-> Economic expansion
-> Technology and commerce
o Song governance
-> Song rule (960-1279) centralized civilian government.
-> A bureaucracy administered taxes and imperial policies.
-> Civil service exams tested Confucian classics.
-> Scholar-officials linked education to state authority.
-> Exams widened recruitment but favored wealthy families.
-> Mongols conquered the Song in 1279; Yuan began in 1271.
o Economic expansion
-> Champa rice matured quickly and resisted drought.
-> More harvests and irrigation increased food supplies.
-> Farm surpluses supported population growth and cities.
-> Markets linked rural producers to urban consumers.
-> Commercialization increased production for sale.
-> East Asia traded silk and porcelain through sea routes.
o Technology and commerce
-> Iron and steel output supplied tools and weapons.
-> Coal fueled iron production in parts of Song China.
-> Woodblock printing spread texts and exam preparation.
-> Movable type appeared but woodblock printing persisted.
-> Paper money eased exchange in a growing market economy.
o Overview
-> Confucian social order
-> Buddhist continuity
-> Regional states and comparison
o Confucian social order
-> Confucian hierarchy supported rulers and family elders.
-> Filial piety required respect for parents and ancestors.
-> Neo-Confucian thought joined ethics with metaphysics.
-> Patriarchy limited women's authority and independence.
-> Foot binding spread among elite women in Song China.
-> Scholar-gentry status rested on land and education.
o Buddhist continuity
-> Mahayana Buddhism remained influential in East Asia.
-> Buddhist monasteries offered worship and charity.
-> Buddhism coexisted with Confucian and Daoist traditions.
-> Chan Buddhism emphasized meditation and insight.
-> Tibetan Buddhism joined Mahayana with tantric practices.
-> Theravada Buddhism prevailed in much of Southeast Asia.
o Regional states and comparison
-> Tributary ties linked East Asia without uniform rule.
-> Korea adopted Chinese exams; hereditary elites endured.
-> Vietnam used Chinese bureaucracy but kept local customs.
-> Japan's shoguns held power; samurai served regional lords.
-> Ming rule restored Chinese dynastic government in 1368.