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The Southern Song Dynasty, based at [[Hangzhou]] (then called Lin'an), ruled the southern half of China following the loss of northern China to invasion by the [[Jurchens]] in [[1127]]. The period was one of many notable artistic and cultural developments; much poetry and painting of the period centered on themes of loss and of desire to reconquer the north.

The Southern Song Dynasty, based at [[Hangzhou]] (then called Lin'an), ruled the southern half of China following the loss of northern China to invasion by the [[Jurchens]] in [[1127]]. The period was one of many notable artistic and cultural developments; much poetry and painting of the period centered on themes of loss and of desire to reconquer the north.

After the first emperor of the dynasty, [[Emperor Gaozong of Song]], spent some time fleeing from the Jurchens, and then hiding out on a small off-shore island, he returned to the mainland to establish Lin'an as the capital in [[1138]]. He then concluded a treaty with the Jurchen [[Jin Dynasty]] in [[1142]], agreeing to pay regular [[tribute]] to the Jin, and accepting the [[Huai River]] as the northern boundary of Song territory. Fighting broke out again between the Song and the Jin in [[1161]]-[[1165]], though the superior Song navy was able to keep the Jurchens from crossing the [[Yangtze River|Yangtze]]. This pattern repeated in a series of conflicts in [[1206]]-[[1208]].<ref name=schiro208>Schirokauer, 208.</ref>

After the first emperor of the dynasty, [[Emperor Gaozong of Song]], spent some time fleeing from the Jurchens, and then hiding out on a small off-shore island, he returned to the mainland to establish Lin'an as the capital in [[1138]]. He then concluded a treaty with the Jurchen [[Jin Dynasty]] in [[1142]], agreeing to pay regular [[tribute]] to the Jin, and accepting the [[Huai River]] as the northern boundary of Song territory. Fighting broke out again between the Song and the Jin in [[1161]]-[[1165]], though the superior Song navy was able to keep the Jurchens from crossing the [[Yangtze River|Yangtze]]. This pattern repeated in a series of conflicts in [[1206]]-[[1208]].<ref name=schiro208>Conrad Schirokauer, et al, ''A Brief History of Chinese and Japanese Civilizations'', Fourth Edition, Cengage Learning (2012), 208.</ref>

The Jin fell to the [[Mongols]] in [[1234]]; the Southern Song managed to resist the Mongol advance for another 45 years, before finally falling in [[1279]].

The Jin fell to the [[Mongols]] in [[1234]]; the Southern Song managed to resist the Mongol advance for another 45 years, before finally falling in [[1279]].

[[Footbinding]], which began to spread among elite society in the Northern Song Period, became firmly entrenched by the end of the Southern Song, especially among the wives & daughters of officials.<ref>Patricia Ebrey, ''The Inner Quarters: Marriage and the Lives of Chinese Women in the Sung Period'', University of California Press (1993), 37-40.</ref> In certain other respects, however, women enjoyed a fair degree of rights and autonomy; they were able to inherit, hold, and pass down property, and when they married, retained their dowries as their own property. Women could also petition for divorce, and though [[Confucianism|Confucian]] orthodoxy looked down upon it, it was quite common for women to remarry after divorce, or after being widowed. While women did not officially study for the [[Chinese imperial examinations|Confucian civil exams]], and were not permitted to sit for the exams, fathers came during the Song to take pride in educating their daughters, and suitors came to more highly value & seek out a cultured and educated bride.<ref>Schirokauer, et al, 215.</ref>

[[Footbinding]], which began to spread among elite society in the Northern Song Period, became firmly entrenched by the end of the Southern Song, especially among the wives & daughters of officials.<ref>Patricia Ebrey, ''The Inner Quarters: Marriage and the Lives of Chinese Women in the Sung Period'', University of California Press (1993), 37-40.</ref> In certain other respects, however, women enjoyed a fair degree of rights and autonomy; they were able to inherit, hold, and pass down property, and when they married, retained their dowries as their own property. Women could also petition for divorce, and though [[Confucianism|Confucian]] orthodoxy looked down upon it, it was quite common for women to remarry after divorce, or after being widowed. While women did not officially study for the [[Chinese imperial examinations|Confucian civil exams]], and were not permitted to sit for the exams, fathers came during the Song to take pride in educating their daughters, and suitors came to more highly value & seek out a cultured and educated bride.<ref>Schirokauer, et al, 215.</ref>

Chan (J: [[Zen]]) Buddhism was at the heights of its popularity in China at this time; Chan temples came to outnumber those of any other sect, and a variety of prominent masters and teachings emerged at this time. Many of the greatest Chan painters in Chinese tradition also date to the Southern Song, including [[Muqi]] and [[Liang Kai]].<ref>Conrad Schirokauer, et al, ''A Brief History of Chinese and Japanese Civilizations'', Fourth Edition, Cengage Learning (2012), 202-203.</ref>

Chan (J: [[Zen]]) Buddhism was at the heights of its popularity in China at this time; Chan temples came to outnumber those of any other sect, and a variety of prominent masters and teachings emerged at this time. Many of the greatest Chan painters in Chinese tradition also date to the Southern Song, including [[Muqi]] and [[Liang Kai]].<ref>Schirokauer, et al, 202-203.</ref>

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