The Song dynasty lasted over 300 years, from 960 to 1279. Their historyis divided into two periods of Northern and Southern Song. The Song period wasone of China's most peaceful and prosperous era. However the Song government wascorrupt and weak.The Song Dynasty, or Sung Dynasty was a period in which the Chinesegovernment was very weak. In the beginning General Chao K'uang-yin, also knownas Sung T'ai Tsu, was forced to become emperor in order to unify China. SungT'ai Tsu created a national army under his direct control. He, and only he hadcontrol of the military. Once he had passed away his less competent successorswere unable to keep the military under control, the military increasingly lostprestige. The weakening of China's military, coincided with the rise of strongnomadic nations on the boarders.During the same time of the military's loss of prestige, the civilservice rose in dignity. This was an examination system that had been restoredin Sui and T'ang and was further elaborated and regularized. Selectionexaminations were help every three years at the district, provincial, andmetropolitan levels.Only 200 out of thousands of applicants were granted the jinshi degree.This was the highest degree and appointed on government posts. From this time on,civil servants became China's most envied elite, replacing the hereditary noblesand landlords.The Song dynasty only extended over to the parts of earlier Chineseempires. The Khitans controlled the northeastern territories and the His Hsiacontrolled the northwestern territories. The Song emperors were unable torecover these lands so they were forced to make peace with the Khitans and theHsi Hsia. They gave massive amounts of payments to the barbarians, under thesepeace terms, it depleted the state treasury and cause heavy payments ontaxpaying peasants.About 100 years after the Songs first started ruling over China, theirgovernment started to go through a major decline. Official...
