Modern historian Chen said: "The culture of the Chinese nation has evolved for thousands of years, and it is the peak of Tianshui culture." Xie Henai, a famous French sinologist, said: "China (Song Dynasty) was undoubtedly the most advanced country at that time in the fields of social life, art, entertainment, system and technology." So, what was the actual national strength of the Song Dynasty?
Map of northern song dynasty
To evaluate the national strength of a dynasty, we need to comprehensively measure it from economic, military, political, cultural, scientific and technological, educational, human resources and other indicators. Let's introduce them one by one
First, the economy is rich and prosperous
Even if we look at the Song Dynasty with the harshest eyes, we must admit that the economy of the Song Dynasty was the best developed in the ancient dynasties of China-none of them.
The level of agricultural development in Song Dynasty surpassed that in Tang Dynasty. The yield per mu of rice in the south of the Yangtze River can reach 2 to 3 stones, with a maximum of 4 stones. The yield per mu of grain in the Tang Dynasty was about 1.5 stones. The commercial prosperity of the Song Dynasty was world-famous, and it was the only dynasty in ancient China where the industrial and commercial tax exceeded the agricultural tax. It was not until Guangxu that the Qing Dynasty reached this level. The Song Dynasty actively developed overseas trade, having trade with 58 countries, and never pursued the policy of "closing the country to the outside world".
By the river during Tomb-Sweeping Day.
Because the economy developed so well, the rulers of the Song Dynasty were reluctant to fight, preferring to spend some money to buy a period of peaceful development.
Second, be strong first and then weak.
Song dynasty is called "weak song", which means that the military strength is relatively poor.
In fact, the military in the Song Dynasty was not as bad as everyone thought. At the beginning of the Song Dynasty, from 1963, when Song Taizu and Zhao Kuangyin used the strategy of "destroying the enemy through false roads" to 1986, Song Taizong and Zhao Guangyi sent three armies to explore the Liao country in the north. The Song Dynasty was in the stage of external expansion, and successively eliminated the separatist regimes of Nanping, Chu, Houshu, Nanhan, Nantang, wuyue and Beihan. At this stage, the military of the Song Dynasty was first-class.
Song dynasty army
Later, in the face of powerful enemies such as Liao, Jin and Mongolia, the Song Dynasty was basically on the defensive. From now on, it is a "passive beating". But to a large extent, because the enemy was too powerful (Mongolian fighters were invincible in the world, and Europeans had a deep understanding), the Song Dynasty was born at an inopportune time.
Third, political openness and tolerance.
The political structure of the Song Dynasty followed the Tang Dynasty, but it was more enlightened and tolerant than the Tang Dynasty.
The Song Dynasty was founded by a mutiny, but it was famous for its preferential treatment for literati ministers. Song Taizu and Zhao Kuangyin laid down three prohibitions for their successors. The second is: "Don't kill the scholar-officials, don't write to people." This is equivalent to giving the literati minister a gold medal.
Zhao Kuangyin Steels
As a result, literati ministers can actively participate in the discussion of state affairs, so that "above the temple, the monarch and the minister argue endlessly;" In rivers and lakes, scholars give directions. "In the Qing Dynasty, ministers succumbed to Nuo Nuo, and it was unthinkable to remain silent in front of the emperor.
Fourth, cultural prosperity.
Political enlightenment led to the prosperity of culture.
In the Song Dynasty, there was a gratifying scene of "a hundred flowers blossom and a hundred schools of thought contend", and a large number of cultural celebrities emerged: Zhu, Ouyang Xiu, Su Shi, Sima Guang, Su Xun, Su Zhe, Wang Anshi, Huang Tingjian, Mi Fei, Cai Xiang, Cheng Yi, Cheng Hao, Lu You, Yang Wanli, Fan Chengda, You Mao, Fan Zhongyan, Fan Kuan, Guo and Zhao.
Su Shi
Verb (abbreviation of verb) has made great progress in science and technology.
Great progress was made in science and technology in Song Dynasty, which was not only a peak in the ancient history of science and technology in China, but also a leading position in the world at that time.
Known as the "four great inventions" to promote the development of human civilization, namely papermaking, compass, gunpowder and printing, half of which were invented in the Song Dynasty (printing and compass). At the same time, papermaking and gunpowder were improved in the Song Dynasty, and their applications were wider. Shen Kuo, praised by Dr. Needham as "the most outstanding figure in the whole history of science in China", is the author of Coordinates of the History of Science in China and On Meng Xi. The calendar "unified calendar" created by Yang Zhongfu is extremely accurate, with a difference of only 26 seconds from the modern measured value.
compass
Sixth, education is second to none.
"All Zhu Chao Zigui is a scholar." "The book has its own golden house, and the book has its own Yan Ruyu." Such proverbs and poems all appeared in the Song Dynasty.
The imperial examination system originated in Sui and Tang Dynasties, but reached a prosperous stage in Song Dynasty. During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the admission rate of Jinshi was very low, and the number of students admitted was very small. And even if you are admitted to the Jinshi, you may not be able to be an official, but you have to go through the selection of the official department. In the Song Dynasty, the imperial court greatly increased the number of imperial examinations. During the 22 years under the rule of Song Taizong and Zhao Guangyi, nearly 65,438+00,000 scholars were admitted, while in the Tang Dynasty, more than 6,000 scholars were admitted. In the Song Dynasty, the selection of the official department was cancelled, and after Song Renzong, the newly added palace examination was no longer cancelled. As long as the scholar is admitted to the Jinshi, he will become an official.
Imperial examination in song dynasty
7. The population exceeds 1 100 million.
Population is one of the indicators to measure national strength. After all, only when the economy and society develop to a certain extent can we feed more people.
Due to the influence of economic development, war and other factors, the population of Song Dynasty had different numbers in different periods. According to Wu's Population History of China, Volume III, Liao, Song, Jin and Yuan Dynasties, the population of the Song Dynasty reached its peak in 1 124, with 23.4 million households nationwide,1260,000 people. This is the first time in the history of China that the population exceeded 654.38+0 billion (the population of the Tang Dynasty reached its peak in Tianbao, with 654.38+0.54 million households and 80.5 million people).
By the river during Tomb-Sweeping Day.
Of course, in terms of population, the Song Dynasty was inferior to the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The population of the Ming Dynasty was close to 200 million, and that of the Qing Dynasty exceeded 400 million.