The Invention Of The Song Dynasty By Bi Sheng

The Song Dynasty is a prosperous and agricultural empire that ruled China from northern capital of Kaifeng to the southern half of Guangzhou. The development of technology in science, culture, and agriculture made this empire thrive. The Song Dynasty was the period of civilian rule, as opposed to many past military rulers, with power in the hands of the bureaucrats instead of military leaders. The Dynasty was divided into the Northern and the Southern Song Dynasty. The Song Dynasty kept in place the old political structure that held the emperor at the top and placing him as the main overseer of local government. The military in the Song Dynasty was weak and inferior but many treaties were signed to keep peace or to stop the fighting between one another. The Song Dynasty created movable type printing pieces that are known as the greatest invention because it allowed for printing textiles and printing more efficient for religious texts, writings and money.

Bi Sheng, a book writer, was the creator of the movable type pieces which made printing very efficient and were made by carving each Chinese character into clay, and once it hardened it was durable and easy to use. The Chinese language has thousands of characters in which if one character piece was made, it can be reused. Before movable type, creating a book was a slow and laborious process that only individuals who were fortunate enough were able to afford. When movable type printing was mastered, inexpensive books were produced which led to the development of popular culture and social discussion. The first printed book was in 868, China’s “Golden Age”, and was called the Diamond Sutra. The document was an important religious text to Buddhism. After the first book, the Song Dynasty wanted to publish many religious texts relating to