The Seal-Bearer of the Great Song

The Song Dynasty was the pinnacle of prosperity in China. It should have enjoyed unmatched glory, yet it was founded by military force and governed through civil administration, with scholars controlling the military. It suffered endless humiliation at the hands of foreign peoples, making it one of the wealthiest and most humiliated Han dynasties. It had none of the Qin’s dominance, none of the Han and Tang’s boldness, and none of the Ming’s later ferocity. Yet one young man picked up his brush and quietly wrote: 【My will is the will of the sages, my will is the will of Heaven, my will is the will of the Song】