To understand Chinese culture, it is necessary to go back to the very beginning of its civilisation. In this series, we look at the most influential dynasties in Chinese history and how each, with its technological inventions and cultural advancements, helped propel the nation forward.
The Tang and Song dynasties are often viewed as two of imperial China’s most prosperous periods. While the Tang dynasty (618-907) was so powerful that Chinatowns around the world are still referred to in Cantonese as tong yan gai, or “Tang people street”, the Song dynasty (960-1279) remains less well known internationally.
The Song period prided itself on what modern China would call “soft power”: arts, literature, science and education, all of which led to a thriving scholar class.
