Song Dynasty
China's Song dynasty (960–1279) was founded by Zhao Kuangyin (temple name Taizu, reigned 960–976) during a mutiny in 960. The Song achievements are so dynamic and brilliant that some historians claim this dynasty marks the beginning of "modern" China. The Song is divided into two periods. The Northern Song (960–1126) ended when its capital city, Kaifeng, in north China, was captured by the Jurchen Jin dynasty (1125–1234). The Southern Song, whose capital city was located in the south at Linan (present-day Hangzhou), was conquered by the Mongol Yuan dynasty (1279–1368) in 1279.
Political Changes
The Song dynasty was founded when Taizu, the palace army commander-in-chief of the Later Zhou dynasty (951–960), one of the dynasties that ruled part of China during the period of disunity between the Tang and Song dynasties, was supported by his rebellious troops in claiming the imperial throne. To centralize power at the court, Taizu persuaded his military officers to give up their commands in exchange for honorary titles, sinecure offices, and generous pensions. Meanwhile, he stressed the Confucian spirit of humane administration and promoted the civil service examination as the most prestigious means of government recruitment. Under the examination system, candidates for government offices went through a series of tests at three levels: prefecture, Ministry of Rites, and imperial palace.
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