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5 In the study of Song China (960–279), experts in the field tend to see the period as part of a long process of change dating back to the Tang Dynasty (67–907). This six hundred years of change, or the Tang-Song transition, is believed to have drastically altered the political , social, and cultural structure of medieval China, thereby laying the foundation for the following centuries until the end of the monarchical system in 9.¹ Politically, many scholars see the period as a continuation of the weakening of the Chinese state while Chinese society became increasingly powerful and variegated. For these scholars, this weakening of the Chinese state may have begun in the Tang, but the process definitely quickened when the Song court was forced to move in 27 from Kaifeng (in the Eastern Yellow River basin) to Hangzhou (in the lower Yangzi River area). For them, the relocation of the Song court signifies not only the transition from the Northern Song to the Southern Song, but more importantly, the further disintegration of the national polity and the concomitant rise of the local gentry as the real power holders.² The Tang-Song transition was equally dramatic with respect to technology and the economy. Many historians of the Song describe the period as full of rapid technological and commercial progress. There occurred rapid urbanization, the rise of a monetary economy, 1 The Northern Song Historical Context In the chaotic period of the Five Dynasties, an emperor was not an emperor, a father not a father, a son not a son. Even the human bonds governing older brother and younger brother, and husband and wife were completely destroyed. [During this time,] the principle of Heaven was almost annihilated. —Ouyang Xiu, Xin Wudai shi 6 The Yijing and Chinese Politics the creation of movable-type printing, the development of new staple and commercial crops, a rapid increase in population, and a robust maritime trade.³ Most significantly, these technological and commercial developments have led many historians to believe that during the Tang-Song transition, the economic center of China shifted from the Yellow River valley to the Yangzi River valley, and hence altered the basic structure of the Chinese economy in the following centuries.⁴ Corresponding to these social and economic changes, important intellectual changes took place during the Tang-Song transition. These included the rise of ancient prose style, the revival of classical studies, the emergence of civil culture, and the genesis of Daoxue. For many Song experts, these intellectual changes were not isolated events. Instead, they were attempts by the educated elite to redefine themselves in response to momentous sociopolitical changes. From “the aristocratic clans” to “the civil bureaucrats” and to “the local elite families,” each time the educated elite changed their self-definition, they altered the criteria by which the upper echelon of Chinese leadership was measured, and consequently redefined the boundaries within which they would operate in state and society.⁵ As a part of this broad scheme of development, the Northern Song (960–27) is often assigned an ambiguous role. Temporally located at the midpoint between the Tang and the Southern Song (27–279), the Northern Song is frequently seen as either a recipient of something that happened in the past or a forerunner of something important in the making. On the one hand, it is seen as an extension of the Tang, namely, the revival of guwen (old style) prose and of Confucian ethics started by Han Yu (768–824), and the continuation of the decline of the aristocratic clans in Chinese politics since the mid-eighth century. On the other hand, it is understood as a preparation for the Southern Song, such as the decentralization of state power from the civil bureaucrats to the local gentry, and the gradual crystallization of Daoxue eventually completed by Zhu Xi. There are certainly many valuable insights to be gained from seeing the Northern Song as a midpoint of some broad trends. At the same time, we also lose sight of the particularity of the Northern Song as a unique historical period. For the Northern Song people, especially the educated elite, their main concern was neither to imitate the Tang nor to pave the way for the Southern Song. Rather, their main concern was to find solutions to problems and conflicts that plagued their lives. To fully appreciate the historical significance [18.221.174.248] Project MUSE (2024-04-26 08:33...

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