Romance and Moon Records of the Song Dynasty

Before starting to tell this story, I want to talk to you first about why we should write about the Song Dynasty. When many people mention the Song Dynasty, the first word that pops into their minds is often "poor and weak." The territory is small, the war is timid, the tribute is large, and the emperor is easily captured. It seems that in China's unified dynasty, the Song Dynasty is like that honest kid in the class who has average grades, failed in sports, and smiles at everyone he meets. But have you ever thought that such an "honest boy" lived for more than three hundred years, longer than the Tang Dynasty? What's even more strange is that this dynasty, which was considered "weak", had a GDP that accounted for a quarter of the world at that time. The population of Kaifeng City exceeded one million, which was more prosperous than any city in Europe. This "weak" dynasty produced Su Shi, Wang Anshi, Sima Guang, Ouyang Xiu, Li Qingzhao... Take any one of them and they are all top-notch figures in the history of Chinese culture. This "weak" dynasty invented movable type printing, banknotes, the compass, and used gunpowder on the battlefield for the first time. So, which one is the real Song Dynasty? It's like asking a person: Are you a cowardly loser, or an elegant and artistic young man? The answer is often: both and no. What we are going to talk about is such a complicated dynasty. It has the most elegant literati and the most cowardly emperor. There are the most prosperous streets and the most brutal wars. There are the most liberal ideas and the most stubborn prejudices. Okay, enough gossip. Our story begins on a snowy night.