Kaifeng, the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty, with a population of over one million, was one of the largest cities in the world at that time. Chang 'an, the capital of the Tang Dynasty, is larger than Kaifeng and has a population of over one million. However, "a hundred houses are like a chess game, and twelve streets are like vegetable fields", and the square is separated from the city and closed management is implemented. Encouraged by dusk, Fangcheng closed, passers-by disappeared, only logical chess pieces. Kaifeng and Hangzhou, the capitals of the Song Dynasty, are cities that never sleep. Due to the integration of shops and markets, there are no restrictions on business hours and places. The night market is not over yet, the morning market is open, and there are ghost markets and even flea markets. People come and go, and business is booming. "There are teahouses, hotels, noodle shops, fruits, colored silk, wool, incense sticks, oil sauce, rice, fish and wax everywhere. Building a broker's house is often more than just a shop, and it is convenient to buy food. " In Zhang Zeduan's The Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival, you can't see the royal demeanor of the Tang Dynasty, but the busy citizens, the competition from the ritual houses, the rolling wealth of shops, the noise of horses and chariots passing through the city, the beauty of ladies, the charm of literati, the rows of buildings and the bustling streets are definitely the bustling scenes that Chang 'an and Luoyang can't see in the Tang Dynasty.
Fighting tea and listening to books constitute Song Xiaozi's nightlife.
Before the Song Dynasty, there was almost no nightlife in the city because of curfew. As soon as the sun goes down, the "door-closing drum" beating on the drum tower begins to urge those idle people who are drinking and chatting in the market or pub to hurry home. If it is delayed, you can only wait until the drum tower rings the "opening bell" the next morning to go home. If the "closed-door drum" knocks on you, you are still wandering in the street. If you are caught by the patrol, it is a "night break", and twenty army sticks are waiting for you.
In the Song Dynasty, when the five grains were abundant for the country and the people, the material wealth and spiritual needs also increased. Whether it is a palace banquet or a gathering of literati, the morning bell and drums of curfew are beating proudly. As a result, the Chief Executive of the Song Dynasty, with an open mind and tolerant attitude, facilitated himself and others to lift the curfew, and Kaifeng, Tokyo, became a city that never sleeps.
"Liangyuan romantic singing and dancing, wine is like a knife. I remember how happy a teenager was, and Fan Lou was brightly lit at night. " There is no need to go into details about how many people linger on because of the beautiful scenery in Fan Lou. It is said that a CEO found a confidante here. The nightlife of ordinary citizens has also begun to become colorful. After a busy day, three or five friends went to the streets to drink tea and listen to books, and all kinds of snacks gathered at the foot of the Drum Tower. At night, they emit attractive fragrance in the light and shadow of water mist transpiration. People come and go overnight, and the happiness index of ordinary people keeps rising in the colorful nightlife.
Comparing the two, the economic prosperity, material richness and commercial development of Song Dynasty far exceeded that of Tang Dynasty. Night ban and staying up late are worlds apart-the latter can be said to be the opening of full-time China. A dynasty banned nights, which was tantamount to fettering the spirit, and people's enthusiasm and initiative were out of the question.
The reason why Da Song was able to create more wealth by leaps and bounds than its predecessors and descendants should be said to be the result of canceling the night ban and returning the night to the people. To some extent, this is a bit like the miracle of reform after the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee, which no longer mentions "taking class struggle as the key link" and mobilizes the unprecedented energy of China people. The two work best together. If people's initiative is stimulated, it really has incredible power. No wonder Japanese historian Shinto Kojiro's On the Transformation of Tang and Song Dynasties holds that the Tang Dynasty was the end of the Middle Ages and the Song Dynasty was the beginning of modern times.
Therefore, the Song Dynasty was by no means a poor, weak and humiliating dynasty. Weakness is a fact, so is shame. The last two emperors of the Northern Song Dynasty were captured by the enemy and died in a foreign country. The first emperor of the Southern Song Dynasty was defeated and had to flee to the sea to save himself. The penultimate emperor was captured by Yuan people, and the last emperor escaped to the sea and was carried into the sea by ministers. In the feudal dynasty of China, nothing was more depressing than the Song Dynasty. However, during the 300-year siege by powerful enemies, wars were frequent, and people bowed their heads and spent money to buy peace, while the Song people created huge economic prosperity and extremely brilliant culture, which was incomparable to him.