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The Song Dynasty was a period of considerable commercial, technological, and cultural/artistic developments. It is divided into the [[Northern Song Dynasty]] (960-[[1127]]), when the capital was at [[Kaifeng]] (then known as Baijing), and the [[Southern Song Dynasty]] (1127-1279), when the capital was at [[Hangzhou]] (then known as Lin'an), following the loss of the northern half of the country to [[Jurchens|Jurchen]] forces whose polity in the north was termed the [[Jin Dynasty (1115–1234)|Jin Dynasty]]. Some scholars have identified Song Dynasty foreign relations, especially interactions with nomadic peoples to the north, including the Jurchen invasions, as sparking a solidification of "Chinese" identity, and of the conception of outsiders as "barbarians."<ref name=worlds>Robert Tignor, [[Benjamin Elman]], et al, ''Worlds Together, Worlds Apart'', vol B, Fourth Edition, W.W. Norton & Co (2014), 376-380.</ref> The [[Tang Dynasty]] ([[618]]-[[907]]) which had come before is known, by contrast, for its lively intercultural interactions.

The Song Dynasty was a period of considerable commercial, technological, and cultural/artistic developments. It is divided into the [[Northern Song Dynasty]] (960-[[1127]]), when the capital was at [[Kaifeng]] (then known as Baijing), and the [[Southern Song Dynasty]] (1127-1279), when the capital was at [[Hangzhou]] (then known as Lin'an), following the loss of the northern half of the country to [[Jurchens|Jurchen]] forces whose polity in the north was termed the [[Jin Dynasty (1115–1234)|Jin Dynasty]]. Some scholars have identified Song Dynasty foreign relations, especially interactions with nomadic peoples to the north, including the Jurchen invasions, as sparking a solidification of "Chinese" identity, and of the conception of outsiders as "barbarians."<ref name=worlds>Robert Tignor, [[Benjamin Elman]], et al, ''Worlds Together, Worlds Apart'', vol B, Fourth Edition, W.W. Norton & Co (2014), 376-380.</ref> The [[Tang Dynasty]] ([[618]]-[[907]]) which had come before is known, by contrast, for its lively intercultural interactions.

China's population reached 120 million in this period, supported by new developments in agricultural techniques and technology. Developments in metalworking allowed for the creation of stronger plows, which brought more land into cultivation; piston-driven bellows which drove furnaces for iron smelting were of a size unsurpassed anywhere in the world until the 19th century.<ref name=worlds/> The population then declined in the Yuan Dynasty, however, not exceeding 100 million again until the [[Ming Dynasty]].<ref>Lloyd Eastman, ''Family, Fields, and Ancestors: Constancy and Change in China's Social and Economic History, 1550-1949'', Oxford University Press (1988), 3-4.</ref>

China's population reached 120 million in this period, supported by new developments in agricultural techniques and technology. Developments in metalworking allowed for the creation of stronger plows, which brought more land into cultivation; piston-driven bellows which drove furnaces for iron smelting were of a size unsurpassed anywhere in the world until the 19th century.<ref name=worlds/> New strains of [[rice]] which ripened more quickly, allowing for a shorter growing season, were introduced from [[Champa]] and their use spread quickly. The population then declined in the Yuan Dynasty, however, not exceeding 100 million again until the [[Ming Dynasty]].<ref>Lloyd Eastman, ''Family, Fields, and Ancestors: Constancy and Change in China's Social and Economic History, 1550-1949'', Oxford University Press (1988), 3-4, 7.</ref>

The Song Dynasty also saw the development of numerous major technologies, including [[gunpowder]], [[porcelain]], and the first use of the [[compass]] - used for centuries for ''[[feng shui]]'' purposes - for maritime navigation.<ref name=worlds/> It was also during the Song Dynasty that [[footbinding]], which had originated among [[courtesans]] in the [[Tang Dynasty]], became widespread throughout Chinese society.<ref>Valerie Hansen, ''The Open Empire'', New York: W.W. Norton & Company (2000), 261.</ref>

The Song Dynasty also saw the development of numerous major technologies, including [[gunpowder]], [[porcelain]], and the first use of the [[compass]] - used for centuries for ''[[feng shui]]'' purposes - for maritime navigation.<ref name=worlds/> It was also during the Song Dynasty that [[footbinding]], which had originated among [[courtesans]] in the [[Tang Dynasty]], became widespread throughout Chinese society.<ref>Valerie Hansen, ''The Open Empire'', New York: W.W. Norton & Company (2000), 261.</ref>