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Home / Dynasties / Song and Its Rivals / Song Dynasty

Song Dynasty宋朝

960 – 1279

Commerce, printing and civil-service government flourished; the north was lost to invaders.

Historical Figures

Su Shi 1037 – 1101 · Poet and statesman Poet, essayist, calligrapher and official — and a survivor of repeated political exile.

Culture & Ideas

The Imperial Examination 605 – 1905 A system that let talent, in principle, replace birth as the route to office.

Contemporary regimes

States that existed at the same time as the Song Dynasty, in whole or in part.

Liao Dynasty辽朝 916 – 1125 Shared years: 960 – 1125 Western Xia西夏 1038 – 1227 Shared years: 1038 – 1227 Jin Dynasty (Jurchen)金朝 1115 – 1234 Shared years: 1115 – 1234 Yuan Dynasty元朝 1271 – 1368 Shared years: 1271 – 1279