Southern Song dynasty

The Southern Song dynasty was the period from 1127 to 1279 when the Song court ruled southern China from Lin’an, present-day Hangzhou, after losing northern China to the Jin.

Jingkang incident: The 1127 capture of the Song emperors Huizong and Qinzong by the Jurchen Jin army, which ended Northern Song rule. The incident forced the surviving Song court to reconstitute itself south of the Huai River.
Yue Fei: A Song general remembered for campaigns against the Jin and for his execution in 1142. His career shows both the strength of Song resistance and the court’s preference for settlement.
Maritime trade of China: Commercial exchange conducted by Chinese merchants and states through coastal and overseas routes. Southern Song ports linked the court’s economy to Southeast Asia and beyond.
Economic history of China: The study of production, trade, finance, and living standards across Chinese history. Southern Song commerce marks a major phase in China’s long economic transformation.
Jin dynasty (1115–1234): A Jurchen-led dynasty that ruled northern China from 1115 to 1234. The Jin seized the north and remained the Southern Song’s principal rival for decades.
Han Shizhong: A Song general who helped resist Jin forces during the early Southern Song. His victories illustrate the military leaders who helped preserve the dynasty after 1127.
Quanzhou: A major medieval Chinese port in Fujian that connected domestic commerce with overseas trade. Its merchant communities and shipping show the reach of Southern Song maritime commerce.
Neo-Confucianism: A revival and reinterpretation of Confucian thought that incorporated metaphysical ideas and ethical self-cultivation. Southern Song scholars systematized teachings that later shaped education and government across East Asia.
Emperor Gaozong of Song: The Song emperor who reigned from 1127 to 1162 and established the Southern Song court. His reign secured the dynasty after the Jingkang crisis and its retreat south.
Battle of Caishi: A 1161 naval battle in which Song forces repelled a Jin invasion across the Yangtze River. The victory demonstrated how river and naval defenses could blunt a northern invasion.

Linked from 21 pages