Song Dynasty: The Dawn of Modernity Author: Wu Gou Publisher: Guangxi Normal University Press

Introduction · · · · · ·
A very convincing text version of "Along the River During the Qingming Festival": interesting, easy to read, full of wonderful details, and fascinating!

Different from the cultural fast food of "Things about the × Dynasty": huge amounts of historical materials and nearly a hundred Song Dynasty paintings restore the original appearance of Song Dynasty civilization.

People's opinions on the Song Dynasty can be divided into two opposing camps. So, was the Song Dynasty "poor and weak", "the peak of imperial autocracy", or was it "the dawn of modern times"?

The author of this book, through the analysis of a vast amount of various documents describing the Song Dynasty and various Song Dynasty paintings, shows what may be the most civilized, modern and epoch-making era in China's feudal history from the four aspects of life, society, economy, and law and politics. It refutes the traditional conclusion that the Song Dynasty was "poor and weak" and "the peak of imperial autocracy", and restores the true face of Song Dynasty civilization.

The author uses "modernity" as a clue and lays out a big picture in the book:

"Washe Goulan" describes the Song people's exquisite life like Song porcelain;

"The Age of Contract", showing the transition of Song people from a status society to a contract society;

"Everyone is a businessman" details China's mercantilism era;

"Governing the world together" fully reflects the beauty of decentralization and checks and balances in the Song Dynasty system.

The book is so extensive and the author's intentions are so profound that we can imagine it! He discusses very rigorously the topic of feudal history moving towards modernization in the Song Dynasty, which completely overturns the judgment of some historians that the Song Dynasty was "poor and weak" and "too cowardly".

This book is suitable for both professionals and the general public. It is well-written, original, interesting and insightful. For example, white-collar workers in Kaifeng during the Song Dynasty did not cook at home, but "ordered takeout"; for example, the "light box advertisements" of the hotel industry shown in "Along the River During the Qingming Festival"; for example, the "cat food stores" that appeared in Hangzhou during the Southern Song Dynasty; for example, the "stock exchanges" in large cities during the Song Dynasty; for example, paper money that was born in the Song Dynasty; for example, the highly developed contracts in the Song Dynasty; for example, the "democratic review procedures" of legislation in the Song Dynasty; for example, the very meticulous judicial procedures in the Song Dynasty; for example, the power structure that emphasized checks and balances... These historical details combined together show a very "modern" social scene in the Song Dynasty, which gives us who live in modern society a sense of "deja vu".

This is not only the beginning of a new understanding of the Song Dynasty, but also a new understanding of Chinese history.