How Did The Song Dynasty Affect China

Throughout China’s long history, there have been eleven imperial dynasties that all affected China and the rest of the world in some way. However, one dynasty in particular had the most impact on both China and the world as a whole: the Song Dynasty. Part of China’s Golden Age, the Song Dynasty lasted nearly 320 years from 960-1279. The Song Dynasty helped unify China as it brought together the small states that came from the collapse of the preceding Tang Dynasty. During the Song Dynasty, China saw great technological advancement that also benefitted the entire world. Along with technology, science, math, philosophy, and engineering also flourished. China’s economy during the Song Dynasty was one of the best at the time, and the country saw a large

While the strength of the Song Dynasty military itself may have not been strong when compared to other imperial dynasties, the military technology that was manufactured during the time affected the world. During the Song Dynasty, China’s navy saw advancement in shipbuilding as warships were now faster and sturdier (University of Washington, Warships). The Chinese also made use of iron by using it to reinforce the hulls of ships (University of Washington, Warships). The most important development of the Song Dynasty, however, is one that would change the face of warfare forever: gunpowder. Once the recipe for gunpowder was mastered, soldiers used a variety of weapons that utilized gunpowder. The most notable of these was the burning arrow, but the Chinese eventually built grenades and landmines as well (Vassar College, Gunpowder). Realizing their advantage in warfare, the Chinese tried their best to keep the recipe to gunpowder a secret (Vassar College, Gunpowder). This, of course, was not successful, and civilizations across the world began to utilize gunpowder for themselves and it continues to be a relatively commonplace item to this