Song Ceramics Research Paper

After the dissolution of the centralized government of the Tang Empire, the tenth century AD was marked in China by growing political instability. As soon as a military commander took control, his power was cut short by internal disputes and coups. This scheme was repeated frequently in the five northern kingdoms and the southern ten in which the Tang empire had divided. In 960, when General Zhao Kuangyin took control of Bian (the modern Kaifeng), it seemed That he was going to be just another warlord trying to come to power. However, the way in which Zhao, known by its name like king, emperor Taizu (ruled between 960-976), managed to consolidate the power demonstrated that it was a skilful politician and strategist as well as a brilliant military …show more content…
Trade unions and professional guilds were formed, banking systems were developed, and paper money was used throughout the empire. As far as the arts are concerned, the Song dynasty was a golden age for painting and ceramics, and in many respects the creation of porcelain reached its summit (both technically and aesthetically) with the practice of ceramists Of Song time. Song ceramics were a valuable commodity throughout Asia, and improvements in ocean navigation (including the invention of a compass pointing south) helped expand its market to include Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia. In fact, fragments of Song-era ceramics have been found in places as far away as the eastern coast of Africa, and although it is possible that these goods were transported by intermediaries, this demonstrates the breadth of maritime international trade networks in which Song merchants participated. Other technological developments of the Song era include the use of steel in agricultural implements, chains for hanging bridges, drill holes for drilling wells, and steel-tipped arrows capable of penetrating conventional armor. Gunpowder was also used regularly in both war and mining. …show more content…
This does not mean that they did not value the cultural and intellectual achievements of Western countries; For example, the emperor appointed an astronomer, Ma Yize (910? -1005), whose job it was to observe and interpret the heavens using methods developed in the Islamic world (Ma Yize had ancestors from an area near modern northeastern Yemen) 2 . Direct exposure to western nations and cultures was, however, a weak point during the Song period, a phenomenon that generated a strong sense of geographic and cultural isolation from the rest of continental Asia. This could also have led to an increase in ethnocentrism, which could explain the decline in interest in Buddhism (a foreign faith) as a state-sponsored religion, although it still flourished as a popular religion. In fact, during the Song period various Buddhist divinities were transformed at the popular level into manifestations more properly Chinese. The male bodhisattva Avalokitesvara became the distinguished matron Guanyin, and Maitreya, the Buddha of the Future, became the potbellied and smiling

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