Song Dynasty - Economic "Resurgence"

• Population Totals
  • CE 2 - 50 million people (peak of Han dynasty)
  • CE 742 - 50 million people (post-Era of Division)
  • CE 1100 - 100 million (Tang Dynasty)
• Why did the population increase so much?
  • Champa Rice!!
    • First sent to China as a Tribute Gift from Vietnam!
    • Cultivated in Southern China
    • More efficient
    • More people
    • More specialization! Even in agriculture.
• Monetarization
  • Stage I
    • Coins replace silk as the currency of choice!
  • Stage II
    • 1st paper currency, 1120
• Industrial Civilization
  • Banking
    • Borrowing and lending at interest
  • Increased Output
    • Golden era for porcelain lacquer, and silk
    • Golden era for publishing
  • New technologies
    • Gunpowder
    • Compass
    • Rudder
    • Printing
• Dozens of cities > 50,000
• Several > 1 million