1. Gunpowder
In the early years of the Northern Song Dynasty, it was used to make rockets, fireballs, etc. Later, explosive thunder cannons appeared. During the Southern Song Dynasty, new weapons such as iron artillery, sudden fire guns, and fire blunderbuss appeared. These weapons were extremely powerful and were widely used in the war against Mongolia.
"Wu Jing Zong Yao" is a detailed masterpiece of military theory and military technology officially compiled during the Renzong period. It contains a large number of introductions to firearms and methods of preparing gunpowder. Later, during the Mongols' Western Expeditions, gunpowder was spread to the West.
2. Movable type printing
The Song Dynasty can also be said to be the era of fastest technological progress in ancient Chinese history. Among the so-called four great inventions, clay movable type printing was born in the Song Dynasty. However, it was not until Gutenberg's movable type printing in Germany appeared in 1440 and printing began to spread in Europe (it was introduced to China in 1833) that the literacy rate of residents around the world began to increase.
3. Compass
In the early Northern Song Dynasty, people discovered the artificial magnetization method, using natural magnets to rub steel needles to make compasses. People learned to fix the compass in the azimuth plate and made a compass needle. The compass at that time was still a water compass, which floated a magnetic needle across the wick on the water. Water compasses have been widely used in the Southern Song Dynasty. As for the dry compass, it did not appear in China until the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty (1522-1566).
4. Astronomy and Calendar
The calendar of the Song Dynasty was changed nineteen times in a row, which was a very frequent era of calendar reform in Chinese history. The ancestors of the Yuan Dynasty later built astronomical observatories and Huihuisi rooftops in Shangdu, Dadu, Dengfeng and other places, and established 27 astronomical observation stations as far away as the extreme north and the South China Sea. They made outstanding achievements in determining the ecliptic and observing stars far beyond those of previous generations.
Famous astronomers in the Yuan Dynasty include Guo Shoujing, Wang Xun, Yelu Chucai, Zamarudin and others. Yelu Chucai once compiled the "Western Expedition Gengwu Yuanli". In 1267, Zamaruddin wrote the "Wannian Calendar". Guo Shoujing and others revised the calendar and compiled the "Time Calendar" based on the modern Yuan-cutting method.
5. Mathematics
Traditional mathematics made great achievements and progress in the Song Dynasty. Jia Xian, Qin Jiushao and Yang Hui were all outstanding mathematicians. Famous achievements include "Yang Hui's Triangle", etc., and mathematical works include "Nine Chapters of the Book of Numbers" and "Yang Hui's Algorithm".
A number of outstanding mathematicians and their works emerged in Yuan Dynasty mathematics. Such as Li Ye and his "Measuring the Circle of the Sea Mirror" and "Yi Gu Yan Duan". Zhu Shijie and his "Arithmetic Enlightenment" and "Four Yuan Jade Mirror". The Tianyuan Technique (i.e., the method of standing equations) proposed by Li Ye and the Quaternary Technique (i.e., the solution of multivariate higher-order simultaneous equations) proposed by Zhu Shijie are new achievements with worldwide influence. Abacus also began to take shape in the Yuan Dynasty.
6. Agricultural Science
The agricultural technology of the Yuan Dynasty can be mainly found in three books: "Nongsang Jiyao", "Wang Zhen Agricultural Book" and "Nongsang Food and Clothing Summary".
7. Geography
In terms of geography, the compilation of "Yuan Yi Tong Zhi", the exploration of the source of the river, the publication of "Yu Map" and the publication of a large number of travel notes are its main achievements. .
Extended information:
Art in the Song and Yuan Dynasties:
1. Porcelain
The Song Dynasty was the heyday of ceramic art in all Chinese dynasties. , its beautiful shape, elegance and solemnity not only surpass the achievements of its predecessors, but even if later generations imitate it, few can match it. Scholars of Song Dynasty porcelain classics have concluded that the five famous kilns of Ding, Ru, Guan, Ge and Jun are the most famous. The convenience of the Maritime Silk Road made Chinese porcelain popular all over the world.
2. Painting
The fusion of literati paintings and flower-and-bird paintings made the flower-and-bird paintings of the Song Dynasty look particularly beautiful and refined. In the early Song Dynasty, two famous masters, Huang Jucai and Xu Chongsi, emerged together. Their situation was similar to that of the Northern School of Landscape Architecture, which developed within the courtyard, and the Southern School of Landscape Architecture, which developed outside the courtyard. Zhang Zeduan, the author of Along the River During the Qingming Festival, was promoted by him. His son Zhao Gou was also inspired and became an outstanding calligrapher.
3. Calligraphy
The calligraphy of the Song Dynasty advocated the promotion of meaning, focusing on philosophy, bookishness, stylization and artistic conception. It also promoted individuality and originality. Su (Su Shi), Huang (Huang Tingjian), Mi (Mi Fu), and Cai (Cai Xiang) are the four masters of calligraphy in the Northern Song Dynasty. It was further extended by calligraphers such as Wu Shuo, Song Huizong, Lu You, Fan Chengda, Zhu Xi, and Wen Tianxiang in the Southern Song Dynasty. Among them, Song Huizong's special calligraphy style is called thin gold style.
Reference: Baidu Encyclopedia-Song and Yuan Dynasties