Science and technology of the Song dynasty: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 07:57, 3 July 2007

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The '''[[Song Dynasty]]''' ([[Chinese language|Chinese]]: 宋朝; [[960]]–[[1279]]) was a period of [[History of China|Chinese history]] that provided some of the most prolific [[technology|technological]] advancements in history, much of it from talented statesmen drafted by the government through [[imperial examination]]s.

The ingenuity of advanced [[mechanical engineering]] had a long tradition in China,. asThe Song Dynasty engineersengineer [[Su Song]] admitted that theyhe and his contemporaries hadwere builtbuilding upon the achievements of the ancients such as [[Zhang Heng]] (張衡; [[78]]-[[139]]), an astronomer, inventor, and early master of mechanical gears.<ref name="needham volume 4 part 2 466">Needham, Volume 4, Part 2, 466.</ref> The application of [[movable type]] printing advanced the already widespread use of [[woodblock printing]] to educate and amuse [[Confucianism|Confucian]] students and the masses. The application of new weapons employing the use of [[gunpowder]] enabled the Song Dynasty to ward of its militant enemies until its collapse to the [[Mongols|Mongol]] forces of [[Kublai Khan]], late in the 13th century.

There were also notable advancements in [[civil engineering]], [[maritime history|nautics]], and [[metallurgy]], while enhanced wind power of the [[windmill]] was introduced to China during the 13th century.