Under the succeeding Tang and Song dynasties
Under the succeeding Tang and Song dynasties, Chinese economy, technology, and culture entered a golden age.[69] The Tang Empire retained control of the Western Regions and the Silk Road,[70] which brought traders to as far as Mesopotamia and the Horn of Africa,[71] and made the capital Chang’an a cosmopolitan urban center. However, it was devastated and weakened by the An
Lushan Rebellion in the 8th century.[72] In 907, the Tang disintegrated completely when the local military governors became ungovernable. The Song dynasty ended the separatist situation in 960, leading to a balance of power between the Song and Khitan Liao. The Song was the first government in world history to issue paper money and the first Chinese polity to establish a permanent standing navy which was supported by the developed shipbuilding industry along with the sea trade.[73]
A detail from Along the River During the Qingming Festival, a 12th-century painting showing everyday life in the Song dynasty’s capital, Bianjing (present-day Kaifeng)
Between the 10th and 11th centuries, the population of China doubled in size to around 100 million people, mostly because of the expansion of rice cultivation in central and southern China, and the production of abundant food surpluses. The Song dynasty also
saw a revival of Confucianism, in response to the growth of Buddhism during the Tang,[74] and a flourishing of philosophy and the arts, as landscape art and porcelain were brought to new levels of maturity and complexity.[75][76] However, the military weakness of the Song army was observed by the Jurchen Jin dynasty. In 1127, Emperor Huizong of Song and the capital Bianjing were captured during the Jin–Song Wars. The remnants of the Song retreated to southern China.[77]
