Chatting About the Great Song Dynasty

Before writing this book, I had been thinking about a question: What kind of dynasty was the Song Dynasty? Some people say that the Song Dynasty was the richest dynasty in Chinese history. Its GDP accounted for an astonishingly high proportion of the world economy at that time. Its urbanization rate, commercialization level, and overseas trade scale all reached the pinnacle of the world at that time. Its people's living standards were the highest among all dynasties in ancient China. Some people say that the Song Dynasty was the most culturally prosperous dynasty in Chinese history. Of the eight great masters of the Tang and Song dynasties, the Song Dynasty occupied six of them. Three of the four great inventions matured in the Song Dynasty. The world's earliest banknotes appeared in the Song Dynasty. Academies, imperial examinations, and Neo-Confucianism all flourished in the Song Dynasty. But some people say that the Song Dynasty was the most useless dynasty in Chinese history. It was bullied by the Liao Kingdom, bullied by the Xixia Kingdom, bullied by the Jin Kingdom, and finally destroyed by the Mongols. Its emperor was captured, its harem was humiliated, and its people were massacred. It buys peace with coins, exchanges land for survival, and exchanges dignity for survival. So, was the Song Dynasty great or useless? Is it glory or humiliation?