Song

Chinese dynasty that ruled the country 960-1279 AD (only in the south after 1127) during one of its most brilliant cultural epochs. During the Sung dynasty, commerce developed; trade guilds were organized; paper currency came into increasing use; and several cities with populations of more than one million flourished along the principal waterways and the southeast coast. Widespread printing of the Confucian Classics and the use of movable type, beginning in the 11th century, brought literature and learning to the people. The Sung dynasty is particularly noted, however, for the great artistic achievements that it encouraged and subsidized. The capital was at Kaifeng near the Yellow River; during the Southern Song (1127-1279) it was at Hangzhou. The study of antiquities flourished, with large collections of artifacts collected, catalogs published, and epigraphic works compiled. The present-day nomenclature of bronze Ritual Vessels is owed largely to the work of Song epigraphers.

[Sung]. Chinese dynasty (ad 960-1279). During the Northern Song (960-1126) the capital was at Kaifeng near the Yellow River in Henan province. During the Southern Song (1127-1279) it was at Hangzhou (near modem Shanghai), and North China was ruled first by the barbarian Jin dynasty of the Jürched and then by the Mongols, who overthrew the Jin in 1234. Antiquarian studies flourished in Song China. Large collections of antiques, particularly ancient bronzes, were formed, and Song scholars published many catalogues and epigraphic works, notably Kaogu tu (1092), which lists objects from a large number of private collections, and Bo gu tulu (cl 123), a catalogue of the Song imperial collection. From Song times until the first scientific excavations in the 20th century the study of antiquities in China was concerned chiefly with inscriptions. The present-day nomenclature of bronze ritual vessels is owed largely to the work of Song epigraphers.