In 960 Song Tai zu Zhao Kuangyin launched a coup d’etat at Chengqiao Bridge to replace the Later Zhou Dynasty and establish the Song Dynasty ( 960—1279 ) , ending the divisiveness of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms . In the meantime, the Liao Dynasty was established by the Qidan nationality in the north of China and the Western Xia Dynasty was established by the Dangxiang nationality in the northwest of China, forming a tripartite balance with the Song Dynasty. In 1115 the Nuzhen nationality in the North of China established the Jin Dynasty. It crushed Liao, and marched into Kaifeng, the capital of Song, capturing the Song emperors Huizong and Qinzhong, and exterminating the Northern Song Dynasty. Song Gaozong Zhao Gou, was enthroned in the southern capital Yingtianfu (modern Shangqiu in Henan Province), and later moved to Lin’an (today’s Hangzhou) to found the Southern Song Dynasty in the south of the Yangtze River.
In the Song Dynasty, there were eminent achievements in science and technology. Compass, printing and gunpowder, three of the Four Great Chinese Inventions were in practical use. Particularly, the set-up type printing was invented by Bi Sheng four hundred years earlier than in Europe. The first astronomical chronometer in the world, the water transported observatory made by Su Song, and the “Notes of Dream Stream” written by Shen Kuo, all achieved a high place in the history of science and technology.
In this period, the rationalistic Confucian philosophical school gained momentum, while Daoism and Buddhism and other foreign-originated religions were popular. A number of literary masters appeared, with Ouyang Xiu as a representative. The Song style poetry dominated the contemporary literature, with Yan Shu, Liu Yong, Su Shi, Zhou Bangyan, Li Qingzhao, Xin Qiji, etc., as the representative poets . During the Song-Jin period, “Huaben” (story-telling) and dramas also prevailed. Paintings featuring landscapes, flowers and birds, and people and daily life done in this period were of great historical significance. An outstanding example of the latter kind of paintings was the “Riverside Scene at the Qingming Festival” painted by Zhang Zeduan.
