Song Dynasty

• Dates: 960-1279
• Chinese/Japanese: 宋 (Song / Sou)

The Song Dynasty ruled China from 960, when China, fractured during the period of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, was reunited, until 1279, when it fell to Mongol invasions, marking the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty.

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 Jurchen forces whose polity in the north was termed the Jin Dynasty.

Preceded by: Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

Song Dynasty 960-1279

Succeeded by: Yuan Dynasty