Sung Dynasty

Many of my dear friends lived during the Sung Dynasty.  The Sung dynasty took place from 960 to 1279 AD.  After the T'ang dynasty there was a period of disunion from 907 to 960 AD.  After this period the Sung dynasty partially unified China.  The period called the Northern Sung took place from 960 to 1127 AD.  The capital was Kaifeng which meant "Yellow River".  This area helped ruled Northern Sung for 170 years and was the furthest outpost of Judaism.  In 1127, Northern Sung was conquered by the Chin dynasty.  For 150 more years the Sung ruled southern China.  (1127 to 1279)  The Mongols take China in 1279, conquering the Sung dynasty.  The Sung dynasty was the peak in Chinese civilization.  The Sung invented newspapers, movable type print, dictionary, compass, stern reuter and paper maps.  They also supported the widespread use of paper money which accelerated trade within China.  A large part of the way life was lived in the Sung dynasty was Neo-Confucianism.  This philosophy consisted of two schools; the School of Intuition and the School of Principle.  Both of these schools agreed that the mind consisted of two realms; the Realm of Principle and the Realm of Material force.  To live your life the neo-Confucius way, you had to give up material items and stick to principle.  My friend, Yi Bing, lived a happy life by this philosophy and encourages everyone to do the same. 

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